The lobster soup includes a generous helping of lobster. If you’ve ever wanted to make your own lobster bisque at home, you’ve come to the right place!

LOBSTER BISQUE RECIPE

What is lobster bisque?

Many fine dining and gourmet seafood businesses serve lobster bisque, a famous shellfish soup in Haute French cuisine.

Even though lobster and shrimp are two of the most regularly used crustaceans in bisque (along with crab and langoustine), they can also be substituted.

Using only a few simple ingredients, you’ll learn how to prepare a delicious French-style soup at home.

LOBSTER BISQUE SOUP

The rich and complex tastes of lobsters abound in this soup.

Compared to Red Lobster, I can assure you that this is a lot better option. So delicious in fact that it tastes like the best seafood restaurants!

If you have a large family, you can feed all of them at a fraction of the cost of dining out.

HOW TO MAKE LOBSTER BISQUE?

Soups in French cuisine are traditionally made with an extensive list of ingredients.

My dish is based on a CIA Pro Chef’s recipe for Maine lobster bisque.

The soup was made with three tiny lobsters, weighing around 1 1/2 pounds. To begin, I cook the lobsters in a large pot of salted water until they float to the surface.

It’s my job to remove the lobster meat from the tail and claws. I used all of the lobster shells and heads to make lobster stock. After removing the lobster stock from the heat, discard the lobster shells.

The next step is to cook chopped onion, carrot, and tomato in butter until soft and slightly translucent. Next, the stock, wine, herbs, and seasonings go into the pot with the lobster. Remove the bay leaves and parsley stalks after simmering for 30 minutes.

Strain through a fine-mesh screen after blending the soup. Remove all of the waste.

Season the soup with salt, pepper, cayenne, and Japanese mirin before thickening with a slurry of corn starch.

Serve immediately with the chopped parsley and lobster flesh.

COOK’S TIPS

Here are my suggestions and strategies for making the best lobster bisque that tastes just like the top seafood restaurants:

• If you can, use live and fresh lobsters whenever possible.
• When it comes to spices, little is more. The original recipe asks for a slew of fresh herbs, but I pared it down to only dried bay leaves and fresh sprigs of Italian parsley for the final product.
• I substituted sake, a Japanese rice wine, for the white wine to save money. The flavor of Japanese cooking sake has a distinct earthy flavor.
• I also added a dash of Japanese mirin or sweet rice wine when making the soup.
• Cayenne pepper can be used to add a tinge of spiciness to a dish.

BRANDY OR SHERRY?

Adding brandy or sherry to this soup enhances its flavor and complexity. You can use either one; the dish will be more decadent and flavorful.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW TO THICKEN LOBSTER BISQUE?

• Rice thickener is traditionally used to thicken lobster bisque.
• Add rice and chicken stock to a pot and boil over medium heat. Cook, covered until the liquid has evaporated completely. The cooked rice will be blended and added to it to make the soup.
• A roux might be used to thicken it further. A roux can be formed using flour and butter,
• To make the roux, begin by melting the butter in a medium saucepan. Continue to whisk in the flour until the roux is smooth.
• You can thicken the bisque soup by adding roux.
• Cornstarch slurry thickened the soup in my lighter version of lobster bisque.

CAN I FREEZE LOBSTER BISQUE?

• The soup should not be frozen since the lobster meat will become rubbery. Nevertheless, you can store the bisque in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave to serve and enjoy.

CAN I SKIP ALCOHOL IN THE RECIPE?

• The recipe does not call for alcohol. The addition of brandy or sherry is optional.

What is the average number of calories in one serving?

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 641 calories.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

The French baguette or other seafood items would go well with this soup. I recommend the following recipes for a restaurant-style supper.

• ULTIMATE FRENCH MASHED POTATOES (JOËL ROBUCHON)
• CRAB LEGS WITH GARLIC LEMON BUTTER
• HOMEMADE BAGUETTE
• FILET MIGNON

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp. Japanese mirin sweet rice wine, optional
• 4 cups lobster stock
• 4 oz. (115 g) tomato, diced
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon corn starch + 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons brandy or sherry, optional
• 10 Italian parsley sprigs, no leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 heavy dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of white wine or Japanese cooking sake
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 3 small lobsters, 1 1/2 lbs. each (0.6 kg)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 oz. (115 g) carrot, peeled and diced
• 4 oz. (115 g) onion, peeled and diced
• Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a big soup pot of 5 cups of water to a boil. Cook the lobsters for 10 minutes with their heads down. After removing the lobsters using a filter, let them cool.
2. Remove the lobster’s tails and claws of meat and discard them. Set aside the lobster tails and claws for later use.
3. Return the lobster carcasses and shells to the pot of simmering water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, on medium-low heat. Discard the lobster heads and shells after straining the stock.
4. On low heat, sauté the onion, carrot, and tomato in the melted butter until they begin to caramelize. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Stock, white wine (or sake), turmeric powder, brandy or sherry, bay leaves, and parsley sprigs (if using) should all be added to the pot. The bisque should be simmered for 30 minutes at a low temperature.
6. Remove the bay leaves and Italian parsley sprigs from the soup, and then proceed with the rest of the ingredients. A blender or an immersion blender can puree the soup until it is silky and smooth. Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids from the soup. Dispose of the leftovers.
7. Reduce the heat to low and re-simmer the soup. If using, season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and mirin, and then fold in the whipping cream.
8. Add cornstarch and water to thicken the soup. Cook for 15 minutes at a low simmer or until the soup has thickened to your liking.
9. Add the lobster flesh to the broth and mix thoroughly. Ladle the lobster bisque soup and lobster into four (4) soup bowls after the heat has been turned off. With chopped parsley, serve right away.

NOTES

• Even if you don’t have a large soup pot, you can cook the lobsters one at a time in the same pot in batches. It takes 7 minutes to boil one pound of lobster. Cook for 10 minutes in boiling water for a 1 1/2-pound lobster.