Lobster Bisque

Course: Appetizer or Soup, Soup

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: people

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This Lobster Bisque recipe is a stunning presentation and is divine in taste and texture. Use either live or steamed whole lobster, frozen (or fresh) lobster tails, or a combination for your lobster meat. Then, follow these steps to make a truly epic bowl of deliciousness.

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Equipment

1 large skillet (12") or large stew pot with a lid
Blender or immersion blender (or both)
Sieve for straining

Ingredients

6 sprigs fresh parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
8 cups fish stock plus more if needed
4 lobster tails see NOTES
6 tablespoon butter
1 lb lobster meat cooked and roughly chopped, see NOTES
¼ cup brandy
3 shallots chopped
1½ cup carrots 3 medium, peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery stalks roughly chopped
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups dry white wine
½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni. In a pot, bring the seafood stock to a simmer over medium heat.
6 sprigs fresh parsley, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, 8 cups fish stock
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lobster tails and cook, turning once or twice, until bright red. Cover and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6 tablespoon butter, 4 lobster tails
Turn off the heat and remove the tails from the skillet, pour the lobster-infused butter into a bowl, and set aside. Place lobster tails back into the skillet (with no heat on) and pour the brandy over them. Ignite with a match. When the flame subsides, transfer the tails to a plate, remove the meat, and add to the other reserved lobster meat. Set aside.
¼ cup brandy
Add the bouquet garni and lobster shells to the simmering stock and continue simmering while you prepare the bisque.
Return the lobster-infused butter to the large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrots, celery, onion, and rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the salt.
3 shallots, 1½ cup carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 medium onion, ½ cup long-grain rice, 2 tablespoon tomato paste, 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Add the wine, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 4 minutes. Strain the stock and then add to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the rice is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
2 cups dry white wine
Meanwhile, dice half of the reserved lobster meat and save for garnish. Stir the remaining lobster meat into the stock and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes.
1 lb lobster meat
Working in a couple of batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and purée until the mixture is very smooth and silky. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into the cleaned-out skillet, pressing on the solids with the back of a spatula or spoon. Discard any solids that do not pass through. (This may take a little elbow grease).
Gently reheat the bisque and whisk in the cream. See NOTES about consistency.
½ cup heavy cream
Divide the bisque among bowls and garnish with the reserved diced lobster meat. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

You have options when purchasing lobster for this bisque. You will need 1½ to 2 lbs of lobster meat. Here are your options (or, use a combination of them):

Two 2-lbs live lobsters (How To Humanely Kill a Crustacean).
Two steamed whole lobsters.
8 frozen (or fresh lobster tails).
4 lobster tails with 1 lb lobster meat (fresh or frozen). This is how we prepare our bisque.
2 lbs lobster meat (fresh or frozen). The only downside is you won't have any shells for the stock.

We order our lobster from MaineLobsterLive.com.

The bisque can be made up to 24 hours in advance of serving. Gently reheat on the stove. The bisque is best served fresh, but, it can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw and then heat on the stove.

Nutrition