Chef’s Lobster Bisque Recipe
This incredible lobster bisque recipe made from fresh lobsters is rich and creamy, making it a fantastic soup for friends and family.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 2 pound lobsters
- 1 large peeled and medium-diced onion
- 1 large peeled and medium-diced carrot
- 1 medium-diced celery
- 1/4 fennel, core removed
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 Roma tomato cut into quarters
- 2 large fresh basil 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 and ground white pepper for garnish
- crème fraiche for garnish
- optional cooked lobster meat for garnish
- thinly sliced fresh chives 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-Ahead: You can make this bisque up to 1 day ahead of time. Follow the reheating instructions below.
How to Store: You can store this covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. This will also freeze covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of bisque soup to a medium-sized saucepot and cook over medium-high heat until simmering and right before boiling. You will most likely need to rethicken the bisque as it will most likely have broken. Make a slurry combining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and then whisk it into the bisque. Heat activates the slurry, so you may need to turn the heat up slightly before whisking it in. Adjust the seasonings with salt and ground white pepper, and serve.
If whole lobsters are not an option, you can substitute 2 whole lobsters for eight 4–6-ounce lobster tails.
Any port wine will work in this recipe.
If you notice the lobster bodies aren’t sauteing, you may need to add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of olive oil.
You do not need to use all three brandy, vermouth, and port. You can use 1 cup of brandy instead.
It is wise to strain the bisque two times to make sure.
Pince means to brown tomato paste in fat.
When using live lobsters, you can place them in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing them to knock them out a little bit.
One of its unique attributes is that it is naturally salty, so be sure to taste it before seasoning it.
Nutrition
Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 22gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 817mgPotassium: 723mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2328IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 1mg