Product Review: restaurant quality gluten-free soups from Hurricane's

It is very difficult to find a local restaurant that offers soup, bisques or chowders that are gluten-free because they commonly use flour as a thickener.  I became very fond of lobster bisque after visiting Nantucket and was disappointed to find it unavailable at local restaurants.  Thankfully Hurricane's Premium Soup and Chowder From Maine makes a line of restaurant-quality soups, bisques and chowder and they are all gluten free.

This family-owned business produces their products in small batches to ensure quality.  The company does not process any products containing gluten in their facility and they do routine testing for gluten to insure all of their products contain less than 10 ppm.  All of their soups are made with the freshest local ingredients available and contain no preservatives, no MSG, no artificial ingredients and 0g trans fat per serving.

This Examiner received samples of:

CAJUN STYLE SWEET POTATO & CHICKEN

A robust chicken stock with sweet potato, red sweet peppers & jalapenos. Finished with traditional Cajun spice, all white meat chicken & heavy cream. (gluten free)

MAINE SHRIMP & CORN CHOWDER

Our original creamy corn chowder packed with sweet & tender Maine shrimp from Portland. (gluten free)

MAINE LOBSTER BISQUE WITH LOBSTER MEAT

Maine lobster is the first ingredient, straight from Portland.  All-natural vegetable & lobster stocks simmered with minced lobster, sweet potatoes & red onion. Puréed then finished with chunks of Maine lobster claws, heavy cream, butter & sherry. (gluten free)

Since I am dairy/lactose/casein intolerant, my husband was tasked with sampling the soups.  The soups come in pouches that can either be heated in the microwave outside of the bag in a bowl, or warmed in a pan of hot water on the stove. The soups should not be frozen as it can affect the consistency, so it is recommended to eat them when they arrive for best results.

My husband is a huge fan of lobster bisque, so this is the first one he tried.  The soup was loaded with large chunks of lobster claw meat that was not overcooked or rubbery.  The soup had a great creamy, traditional texture that tasted so fresh as if it had just been cooked.  He like the seasoning and found it to be as good as lobster bisque he had on Nantucket.

We have yet to try the other two samples, but are confident they will have the same high quality of ingredients and taste. The soups, bisques and chowders can be purchased online via their website and on Amazon.com.  We are hopeful that they will get distribution in the Southeast soon, so we can buy them locally.

Article Courtesy:  Jennifer Harris