Rich Lobster Bisque Recipes

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Split lobster tails lengthwise with sharp kitchen shears. Remove meat and set aside. Add empty shells to stockpot or 4-qt sauce pan. Cover with seafood stock and water. Add Herbes de Provence and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat as low as you can while still maintaining a simmer. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
• Add the lobster meat, cover with lid, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove when meat is bright red and white. If any part is still translucent, continue to simmer until cooked. Remove meat from pot and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into small pieces and refrigerate until ready to add to bisque.
• While the lobster stock is cooking, you can begin to make the bisque at the same time.
• Heat butter over medium high heat in a large pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat in butter and cook until soft, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
• When vegetables are just about done and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add garlic, stir to combine, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, stir well to coat vegetables, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle over flour over mixture, stir well to combine, and cook while stirring frequently to prevent burning for an additional 2 minutes. The mixture should really start sticking to the bottom of the pan and turning brown. Do not allow it to burn.
• Add wine to deglaze pan. Stir well with a flat bottom wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow in wine to simmer for several minutes. The liquid will reduce and the mixture will become thick.
• Set a fine mesh sieve or strainer over your pot and pour the lobster stock through the strainer into your pot. Discard shells. Stir broth into bisque base until well combined. Reduce heat to lowest setting to maintain a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir occasionally during this time.
• Remove bisque from heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup right in the pot. Alternatively, transfer to a blender to purée and then return bisque to pot.
• Add heavy cream and chopped cooked lobster pieces to bisque and stir well. Heat over medium-low heat until bisque is heated through. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve hot with crusty bread on the side.

PERFECT LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook and stir until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the vegetable and broth mixture into the container of a blender, and add 1/4 cup of the lobster meat. Cover, and process until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and stir in the half-and-half, white wine, and remaining lobster meat. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until thickened, about 30 minutes.

CREAMY LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• 1 bunch fresh chives, for garnish
• For the lobster broth: Heat a large soup pot on medium and add the butter, olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery and onions. Add the sea salt and some freshly cracked pepper and saute for about 8 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the brandy and burn off the alcohol. Pour in the white wine and reduce for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, tomato paste, peppercorns, lobster carcasses (keep meat for later), bay leaves, parsley and thyme. Top of with water, just enough to cover the shells. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.
• For the dark roux: Heat a small saucepan on medium. Add the butter and flour and whisk continuously until amber in color and nutty smelling, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• For the bisque: Using strainer and cheesecloth, strain the lobster broth into a medium pot. Add the dark roux, heavy cream and saffron and mix. Let reduce on medium-low heat until thick, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the lobster meat: Heat a big pan on medium-high and melt the butter. Add the lobster meat and saute until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Spoon the lobster meat into a big bowl, ladle on the lobster bisque and top with chives. Enjoy.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Heat the water in a large stock pot to boiling. Drop in the lobsters and cook covered for 12 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot; reserve 4 cups of the water. Let the lobsters cool.
• When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, crack the shells and remove all the lobster meat. Finely dice the meat and set aside. Reserve the shells.
• Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lobster shells and pour in the Cognac. Heat until the Cognac is warm, then flame it with a match. When the flames subside, stir in 1/2 cup shallots, the garlic, tomato paste, wine, reserved cooking liquid, the tarragon, thyme, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.
• Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the strained lobster stock; whisk until well blended. Whisk in the milk and cream and heat over medium heat until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot soup and then return to the pot; whisk until thoroughly blended. Stir in the reserved lobster meat. Heat for several minutes and serve immediately.

RICH LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• If using frozen lobster tails, allow to thaw completely before beginning. Split tails in half lengthwise; this is easier if you start at the fan end. Devein the tails.
• In a saucepan with a steamer insert and a tight-fitting lid, bring water and salt to a boil. Place lobster tails into steamer insert shell-side down; cover tightly and steam 5-7 minutes. Remove lobster and reserve steaming liquid.
• When cool enough to handle, remove meat from shell with a fork, preferably in one piece. Chill meat until needed.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add lobster shells and saute 5 minutes until flavors are released. Without removing the shells, deglaze the pan with white wine, chicken stock and the reserved steaming water. Simmer until reduced to about 6 cups, about 45 minutes. Strain.
• Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan. Add fennel and shallot. Saute 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add strained lobster stock, tomato, brandy, rice, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer 45 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf and thyme. Puree with immersion blender or bar blender, using appropriate safety techniques for blending hot liquids.
• Off heat, stir in heavy cream and lemon juice. Keep warm.
• Melt 1 T butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute reserved lobster tails until warmed through. Slice tail meat and use to garnish large bowls of soup. Serve hot.

QUICK LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir flour, sea salt, celery salt, and black pepper into the butter. Gradually stir half-and-half into the mixture, taking care that no lumps form. Add lobster stock; stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the soup begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.
• Stir lobster, tomato paste, onion, and celery into the soup; season with paprika, thyme, and seafood seasoning. Continue cooking the soup to heat the onion and celery, about 10 minutes. Add cream; stir. Cook until hot, about 5 minutes.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Stock: In a large pot lined with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch salted water to a boil. Steam lobster tails, top-side down, until just cooked through and tails curl under, 6 to 8 minutes for small tails and 8 to 10 minutes for large. Transfer to a plate and let cool. When cool enough to handle, use kitchen shears to cut through underside of tails. Remove meat from shells; reserve shells. Run a paring knife along back of each tail and remove vein. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add shells and cook until fragrant and deep red in color, about 4 minutes. Add fish stock, wine, and 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, skimming impurities from surface, until reduced to 6 cups, 40 to 45 minutes. Strain stock into a large liquid-measuring cup or heatproof bowl. Wipe out pot. (Stock can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer up to 3 months.)
• Bisque: In same pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add fennel, onion, and garlic and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne; cook 1 minute. Add brandy, sherry, and strained lobster stock; season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf.
• Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Let cool 15 minutes. Whisk together cream and cornstarch, then stir into bisque. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning as desired.
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add lobster meat and cook until just warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour soup into bowls and serve, topped with lobster, fennel fronds, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired. Soup can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.

LOBSTER BISQUE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with 1/2 inch of water. Stir in 2 teaspoons kosher salt and bring the water to a boil. Add the lobsters, cover with a tight-fitting lid and return the water to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle boil and cook the lobsters until they are bright red, about 12 minutes. Remove the lobsters, reserving the liquid. When the lobsters have cooled slightly, place them in a bowl and remove the meat from the claws and tail, again reserving any liquid that comes out of the shells. Chop the meat and refrigerate. Roughly chop the shells into small pieces and reserve, along with all the lobster remains.
• Swirl the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the vegetables and herbs. Sweat until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, then increase the heat to medium-high and add the lobster shells and remains. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the sherry, then ignite or cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Add fish stock and 1 cup of the lobster-cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour.
• Strain the broth through a colander, pressing down hard on the solids to extrude as much liquid as possible. Wipe out the pot and pour in the broth. Add the rice and cook for at least 30 minutes, or until the grains are cooked to extreme softness.
• Blend the bisque in a food processor or blender, then pass through a fine sieve, again pressing down hard on what solids remain. Add the cream and bring to a low simmer. Add the chopped lobster meat, let it heat through, then season to taste with salt and cayenne.