Lobster Bisque

We all fell in love with lobster bisque while visiting Mom in Connecticut for Thanksgiving in 2015. We haven’t found anything like it here in the south, so when I found lobster tails on sale at the grocery, we had to give it a try. I tried a couple different recipes and experimented with a few tweaks. We ended up with what we think is a rich, smooth, delicious bisque. Hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients

  • Bisque
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 large white onion, finely chopped
    • 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
    • 6 celery heart stalks, finely chopped
    • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
    • 2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
    • 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 5 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste
    • 3 tbsp all purpose flour
    • 2 cups pinot grigio (or your favorite white wine)
    • 4 cups lobster stock (see below)
    • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Garlic Butter Lobster Meat & Stock
    • 4 lobster tails (about 1 lb)
    • 5 cups water
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the lobster meat and stock. Fill a large pot with 5 cups water and stir in 1 tsp salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
  2. Add lobster tails, cover with lid and boil for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove lobster tails and move the stock off the burner for a few minutes.
  4. Let the lobster cool for a few minutes. Using kitchen scissors, cut down the back of the shell and pull out the meat. Ensure there are no pieces of shell in the meat, chop into bite size chunks, and set aside.
  5. Put the lobster shells back in the pot and return to the burner uncovered for 15 minutes on medium heat.
  6. Remove shells from the liquid and set the stock aside. This is your lobster stock for the bisque.
  7. Now we start the bisque. Over medium heat melt and combine butter and oil in a large pot.
  8. Add chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
  9. Add thyme, tarragon, garlic, bouillon, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well and Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
  10. Mix in tomato paste and cook for another minute to coat all the vegetables. Sprinkle flour over the mixture, mix well, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently. Be sure not to let anything scorch on the bottom of the pot.
  11. Pour in the white wine, make sure the pot is deglazed, and allow to cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and don’t let it reduce more than half.
  12. Pour in the lobster stock you’ve made through a strainer to ensure no bits of shell get into the bisque.
  13. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. The liquid should have thickened slightly.
  14. Remove from the heat. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. You can do this by transferring to a regular blender, but it is much less messy to use a stick blender.
  15. Return the blended mixture to the low heat and add in the heavy cream. Stir well to combine.
  16. In a separate pan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add 2 cloves garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  17. Add your chopped lobster meat and saute for about 1 minute or until warned through.
  18. Pour the lobster and garlic butter into the bisque and stir.
  19. Ladle into bowls and serve. I recommend serving with toasted slices of buttered french bread.