Lobster Bisque - An impressive meal that doesn't require any fancy chef tricks

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Lobster Bisque - An impressive meal that doesn't require any fancy chef tricks

If you're looking for a special meal to serve for an elegant occasion, lobster bisque will fit the bill. It takes a bit of work, but it's not difficult and the reward is a knockout.

Lobster bisque is always on my festive Christmas Eve menu and would also be perfect for New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day.

It's light and delicious and won't spoil your appetite for the feast that follows. The silky, creamy yet light bisque is the star of the show, while the small pieces of lobster play a supporting role.

It has a rich lobster flavor and a velvety, sumptuous texture.

An Updated, Easier Lobster Bisque

I learned how to make traditional lobster bisque from a mentor chef while working at a restaurant.

Lobster bisque used to be a fancy French restaurant dish, not normally under the control of home cooks. It was a recipe created to make good use of lobster shells.

Traditionally, the shells were ground and strained to make a thickened lobster broth with rice or beurre manié (a mixture of butter and softened flour) and cream.

The mixture is then flavored with sherry. Lobster meat was reserved for dishes such as thermidor lobster; nothing was added to the soup.

This updated lobster bisque recipe is similar: lobster shells, cream, and sherry are used to flavor the broth, which is thickened with beurre manié.

In my version, I don't grind the lobster shells, it's a lot of work and you need to get a lot of lobster flavor.

Also, I steam the lobsters, scoop out the meat, and add it back to the soup with a little lemon juice to reduce the richness and enhance the flavor.

What is a soup anyway?

A soup is a rich, smooth and creamy soup. It's not thick and doesn't have big chunks of meat or vegetables like chowder or other soups.

It is often associated with crustaceans such as lobster, shrimp, crayfish, and crab. Modern versions are made with vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, or red peppers.

The best lobster for lobster bisque

A live lobster is the best option because the water used to cook the lobster becomes the broth for the soup.

You can buy pre-cooked lobster and use fish stock or clam juice to flavor the soup. This is also a good option if you can't cook a live lobster.

Could you use frozen lobster tails? I don't recommend it because there aren't enough rinds -that's where all the flavor comes from- to make a good broth. You'd also need to buy a lot of them (around £2), which gets expensive.

The best return would be to buy a live lobster. If you can't find live or pre-cooked lobster locally, check out this post for some of our favorite lobster delivery options.

How to serve lobster bisque

Open a bottle of sparkling wine. You deserve it and the soup goes very well with it. Chilled white wine would also be nice.

It's a light meal, so serve it with a crunchy salad and some French bread for something special but not too filling.

Plan ahead

If you're planning a special occasion, here are some tips on how to make lobster bisque:

Three months before: Add the lobster meat to the thickened broth, but do not add the cream. Cool to room temperature first, then freeze in a freezer-safe container.

When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a skillet over low heat. Mix sour cream and lemon juice.

Two days ahead: Store the thickened broth and lobster meat separately in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to serve, heat the broth in a saucepan over low heat.

Mix sour cream and lemon juice. When hot, add the lobster meat.

Ingredients

• 7 cups water, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 large (2 pound) or 2 small (1 pound) live lobster (see recipe note)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• A pinch of cayenne pepper or to taste
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons of wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cream of sherry
• 1 cup of milk cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Method

Cook the lobster:

Skip this step if using boiled lobster. See the recipe notes above for instructions on how to proceed.

In an 8 to 10 quart saucepan over high heat, bring 6 cups of the water and the salt to a boil. Add the lobster, head first, and cover the pan.

Adjust heat to low and cook 18 to 20 minutes for one large lobster or 15 to 18 minutes for two small lobsters.

The lobster will not be completely submerged in water.

When done, the crust will turn bright red. You should be able to twist one leg easily.

Using tongs, remove the lobster and place on a baking sheet to cool.

In a second pot we pour the lobster cooking water and reserve it for when we make the broth.

Remove lobster meat from shell:

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, use a knife, kitchen shears and, if necessary, a hammer or lobster cracker to break or cut the shells and remove the meat.

For detailed instructions, check out this post. He will guide you through the process.

Work over the roasting pan to catch the juices so you can add them to the broth later.

Transfer the meat to a bowl:

Transfer lobster meat to a medium bowl. If the lobster has roe, the small red lobster eggs of a female lobster, add those as well.

Run your fingers over the smaller pieces of meat to find and remove any loose skins.

Rinse any tomalley, the sticky green substance attached to the meat, under cold running water. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel.

Cut large pieces of meat into smaller pieces and transfer to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

With your hands or kitchen shears, break or cut the shells into 2- to 3-inch pieces. These will be used to flavor the broth.

Make stock:

Heat the same skillet you used to cook the lobster over medium heat and add the oil.

Add the sliced lobster shells and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until they turn a darker shade of red.

Add onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Add the tomato paste, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf.

Cook and stir for 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors.

Add 5 cups of the lobster cooking water and reserved juices to the roasting pan. If you don't have the full amount of water to cook the lobster, add more water to make 5 cups of liquid.

Add the wine and the remaining 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to keep the heat low. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.

Strain the broth:

Place a colander over a large bowl and strain the broth to remove any rinds and aromatics. Throw them away.

Rinse the pot and strain the broth again, but this time through a fine mesh strainer.

Make the beurre manie:

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and flour until just combined.

Finish the soup:

Add the sherry to the strained broth and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Whisk the beurre manié into the boiling broth and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beurre manié dissolves and the soup thickens.

It should have the consistency of sour cream.

If the soup is too thin, beat more beurre manié using a ratio of 1 part butter to 1 part flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes so the flour thickens the soup.

The consistency should be light and creamy, not thick and heavy. If the soup gets too thick, add more lobster broth or water, a little at a time.

Add the cream and bring to a boil again. Add lobster meat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until lobster is heated through. Mix lemon juice.

Taste and add more salt if you like.

Serve the soup:

Divide the soup into bowls and serve hot.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in a covered container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, but it risks cracking (the cream curdles and separates) when reheated.

To mitigate this, slowly reheat the soup in a skillet over low heat, stirring frequently and gently to make it creamy and smooth.

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