This rich and decadent lobster bisque is a prefect soup on a cold day. Made with lobster tails, it is ready in just over an hour and tastes amazing. Serve with a nice crusty bread for an easy and tasty meal.
Lobster bisque was one of the first soups I made when I was younger outside of chicken noodle. It has always been a favorite of mine since I am a huge seafood fan. This has got to be the easiest version that I have made, and the broth comes together nicely very easily if you cannot get a hold of fish or seafood stock. This is the perfect soup for those chilly winter months.
In this recipe
There are quite a few ingredients in the recipe, however it doesn’t require a lot of work. Once you have the vegetable chopped everything else should move along smoothly.
Lobster: this is the star of the show. You will want at least 4 tails depending on their size. I like to use about 16 ounces of meat if possible. If you have access to the claws, then use them as well.
Tomato paste: this adds the essence of tomatoes without having to cook the soup for hours to have the liquid cook down and breakdown the tomatoes.
Mirepoix: this is a blend of carrots, celery, and onions that adds a rich flavor to the soup
Making lobster stock
Just like shrimp shells are great for adding an intense shrimp flavor to a broth or dish lobster shells can do the same. In this recipe if you cannot get ahold of fish or seafood stock then this is the perfect way to enhance the flavor of your bisque. Bring water to boil with a smashed clove of garlic and a bay leaf. Add the whole lobster tail into the pot and cook for 5minutes. This will cook the meat. Then remove the meat from the shell and set aside. Boil the shells for another 15 minutes and you are good to go.
Cooking lobster bisque
Once your stock is ready to go you are ready to really get cooking. Once you have cooked your mirepoix and it is starting to soften you will add the garlic and then tomato paste. You will want to brown the paste a little bit by allowing it to cook and get darker. This will give you an even more flavorful dish. It is also important that you mix the cornstarch in with the wine so that it doesn’t clump. Once it has reduced by about half you can add the broth, herbs, and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until it is ready.
Getting a smooth soup
For me I like to have a very smooth lobster bisque. There are a couple of ways to get the desired consistency. While you can use an immersion blender for the soup, I find that it isn’t as smooth as a blender. If you have a powerful blender that is all you need.Â
Make sure that you pour the soup into the blender and loosen the plastic cap inside the lid. Start on a low speed and then remove the plastic cap. This will prevent the soup from exploding in the blender. You can then strain with a cheese cloth if it is still too lumpy for your taste.
Looking for other soup recipes?
Lobster Bisque
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Blender or immersion blender
- Cheesecloth optional
- Spoon
- Sharp knife or kitchen shears
Ingredients
- 6 cups lobster stock or fish or seafood stock see below for lobster stock
- 4 lobster tails about 10 ounces of lobster meat, uncooked if you want to make stock
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic minced about 5 cloves
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme about 1 tablespoon
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Lobster stock
- In a large pot bring 6 and a half cups of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt, a crushed garlic clove, a bay leaf. and the lobster tails with the shell on.
- Cook for 5 minutes, remove the lobster tails and allow to cool on a plate until cool enough to handle.
- Split the shells and remove the meat and set the meat aside. Add the shells back to the water and boil for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the shells and strain.
Making the bisque
- In a large pot or Dutch oven heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until they are soft and translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
- While the tomato paste is cooking mix the wine and the cornstarch together then pour over the vegetables. Allow the liquid to reduce by half and then add the stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the thyme, paprika, pepper and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Pureeing the bisque
- Once the soup is done cooking blend the mixture with an immersion blender or a standard blender.
- If using a blender remove the middle cap from the lid in order to prevent the soup from going everywhere.
- If you are using an immersion blender be careful of the splatter as the soup will still be very hot.
- Once blended add the cream and lobster meat to the soup and strip until combined. Season with salt to taste.
Nutrition
