Lobster Bisque

This lobster bisque is rich and comforting with chunks of sweet lobster in every bite. For me, it’s always felt like such a celebratory dish and there’s no better way to ring in a new year.

For the recipe, you can use store-bought stock, however I can’t advocate enough how much I hope you make the homemade stock; it really adds such a depth of flavor. To break up the recipe, feel free to make the stock the night before and the bisque the following day.

I hope that, like me, in the end you are sopping up every last bit of lobster goodness with a crusty bit of bread or my favorite pairing, a savory scallion biscuit.

ingredients

• 8 cups water, divided into 6 cups and 2 cups
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided into 1 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon
• 4 (5 oz) lobster tails
• 3-5 tablespoons butter, divided into 3 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons (the 2 tablespoons are optional, see serve it up instructions)
• 1 cup onion, diced (~1 medium onion)
• 1 cup carrots, diced (~2 carrots)
• 3/4 cup celery, diced (~2 celery stalks)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoon + 1 clove garlic, minced (~5 cloves), divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 clove (the extra 1 clove is optional, see serve it up instructions)
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine (or substitute an extra cup of Lobster/seafood stock + 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar)
• 4 cups Lobster Stock or seafood stock
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

method

cook the lobster

1. Add 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt into a high-sided pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. When the bubbles are just starting to reach the surface of the water, add the lobster tails to the salted water and cook for 5 minutes or until the shells turn bright red. Make sure to keep the water at a gentle simmer as the lobster is cooking, meaning the bubbles are small and at the edges; do not boil.
3. While lobster is cooking, create an ice bath by pouring the remaining 2 cups of water into a bowl with some ice.
4. When the lobster is ready, use tongs to remove the lobster from the pot and submerge them into the ice bath, which will quickly stop the lobster tails from cooking further. Reserve the water that the lobster cooked in if you are making the salt + olive Lobster Stock.
5. Remove the lobster meat from each of the shells (*see notes). Set the meat aside and if you are making the salt + olive Lobster Stock, continue with the stock recipe using the lobster shells and reserved cooking water before continuing with the rest of the bisque recipe.

make the bisque

6. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a high-sided pot.
7. Add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme and tarragon to the melted butter and sweat for 7-9 minutes or until soft and translucent; we aren’t looking for browning here.
8. Add the salt, cayenne and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
9. Add the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. It’s ok if the flour starts to turn a little golden on the bottom of the pan.
10. Add the tomato paste and wine (or substitute an extra 1 cup stock + 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar if you prefer to cook without alcohol), stirring constantly so no lumps form. Cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.
11. Slowly stir in the shellfish stock so no lumps form and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Transfer the soup to a blender (*see notes!) and puree until smooth or use an immersion blender.
13. Return the pureed bisque to the pot and add in the heavy cream.
14. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes more or until warmed through and slightly reduced.
15. Taste and season with any salt and pepper as desired.

serve it up

15. While the bisque is simmering, cut the previously cooked lobster meat into bite size pieces. Start by cutting the lobster in half lengthwise. If there is any discolored vein or anything that looks unappetizing, remove it, before cutting the lobster meat bit-size chunks (or whatever size you want to serve).
16. Optional: if desired, gently heat the optional 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 minced garlic clove over low until just melted. Add in the lobster meat and gently toss until just heated through; do not overcook, we are just looking to warm it through.
17. Spoon lobster meat into a soup bowl and top with hot bisque. Enjoy!

notes

• To remove lobster meat from the tail, lie the lobster tail on it’s side and press down to crack the shell (think pushing as you would for CPR, but more gentle). Then, turn the tail so that the fleshier side with legs is facing up and using your thumbs pull the lobster shell apart. Using your fingers, release the meat from the shell, working from the larger side down to the tail fins. If you need more visual guidance, see Step #2 in this link.
• Always be careful while blending hot liquids! If you are using a standard blender, make sure to allow the heat from the bisque to escape as your blend or else pressure could build. Usually, I remove the center piece from the blender lid or open the pour vent on the blender lid (depending on your blender brand) and place a paper towel over it to prevent splattering, but allowing steam to escape.

yields

4 servings