Chef’s Lobster Bisque Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 50 mins
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Servings
8
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Calories
604 kcal
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Cuisine
French
Chef’s Lobster Bisque Recipe
Description
The Chef’s Lobster Bisque recipe starts by preparing live lobsters, cutting them in half, and extracting the meat. The shells, along with garlic, onion, carrot, celery, fennel, tomato paste, and tomato, are sautéed and simmered with brandy, dry vermouth, port wine, and chicken stock to develop a deeply flavored broth. The mixture is thickened with a cornstarch slurry and finished with heavy cream to create a smooth, velvety bisque. Garnishes such as crème fraîche, fresh basil, lobster meat, and chives enhance the presentation and taste.
The flavor balance includes the natural saltiness from lobster, sweetness from vegetables, and the depth contributed by the combination of spirits and tomato paste. The texture is creamy yet silky, with hints of shellfish richness. This bisque suits serving as a starter or a special occasion soup.
Practical tips include making the bisque up to a day ahead, storing it refrigerated or frozen, and careful reheating with a slurry to restore thickness after storage. Substitutions for lobster bodies with lobster tails are provided, as well as advice on seasoning and straining for clarity. Techniques like freezing lobsters before preparation help with handling live seafood.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 2 pound lobsters
- 1 onion large peeled and medium-diced
- 1 carrot large peeled and medium-diced
- 1 celery medium-diced
- 1/4 fennel core removed
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 Roma tomato cut into quarters
- 2 basil large, fresh leaves
- 1 1/4 cups brandy
- 1 cup dry vermouth
- 1 cup port wine
- 12 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 recipe for slurry
- sea salt for garnish
- ground white pepper for garnish
- crème fraîche for garnish
- lobster meat cooked, optional, for garnish
- chives thinly sliced, fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- If you’re using live lobsters, you will need to cut them in half. Place the tip of your knife about 3” down from the head of the lobster where there is a T. Press down through the head with the tip of the knife, then roll the knife down to the cutting board.
- Turn the lobster around and do the same thing slicing through the tail completely.
- Remove the tomalley, stomach, and intestinal tract. Rinse the inside of the lobsters.
- Remove the tail meat by pressing down on the tail where the legs are pulling the meat up. You may also need to slice where the tail meets the lobster body to help loosen the meat. Set them aside in the refrigerator. Next, optionally remove the claw and knuckle meat by breaking the claws using the backside of your chef knife. Set them aside in the refrigerator.
- Add the olive oil to a pan over medium-low heat and caramelize the garlic cloves slightly, which takes about 2 minutes.
- Next, place in the lobsters and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes or until they turn bright red.
- Stir in the vegetables and saute until lightly caramelized, which takes 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir until everything is coated. Pince the tomato paste until it becomes a rusty color. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Deglaze with the 1 cup of brandy and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by one-half. It may also just suck right into the ingredients in the pot. If it does that, immediately go to the next procedures.
- Pour in the Vermouth and cook down until the liquid is reduced by one-half. Add the Port wine and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by one-half.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the tomato and basil leaves.
- Simmer at low to medium heat for 45 minutes.
- Strain the lobster stock through a fine mesh strainer, chinois, or cheesecloth.
- Return the stock to the pot and cook over high heat until the amount of liquid is reduced by 1/3.
- Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the heavy whipping cream.
- Thicken the bisque with slurry or beurre manié until thick.
- Season with sea salt and ground white pepper.
- Mix in a ¼ cup of brandy.
- Serve with optional butter-poached lobster, or cooked claw meat, and crème fraiche and chopped fresh chives.
Notes
- Make bisque up to 1 day ahead; store refrigerated for 4-5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
- Reheat gently and use cornstarch slurry to rethicken as needed.
- Substitute whole lobsters with lobster tails if unavailable.
- Strain bisque twice to ensure smooth texture.
- Cooling lobsters in the freezer before cutting can ease preparation.
- Taste before seasoning as the bisque is naturally salty.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 604 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 604kcal | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 8% |
| Protein | 22g | 44% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 16g | 80% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Trans Fat | 0.01g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 159mg | 53% |
| Sodium | 817mg | 34% |
| Potassium | 723mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 11g | 22% |
| Vitamin A | 2328IU | 47% |
| Vitamin C | 6mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 123mg | 12% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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