American🥣 Soups & stews

The Lobster Bisque (Easier Method)

Name: The Lobster Bisque (Easier Method)
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 Lobster tails; 1000 ml Clam juice; 250 g Dry white wine; 1000 ml Chicken stock; 20 g Chicken or lobster better than bouillon; 6 Garlic cloves; 1 Large white onion; 6 Celery stalks; 3 Carrots; Olive oil; 230 g Unsalted butter; to taste Salt; Red pepper flakes; 5 g Paprika; 75 g All-purpose flour; 170 g Tomato paste; 125 ml Heavy cream; 2 g Sugar; Sour cream; Fresh black pepper; Fresh chives

⏱ 55 min🍽 Serves 6

An elegant and approachable lobster bisque made with lobster tails using a simplified technique that any home cook can manage. Can be made with shrimp as an easy substitute.

Adapted from a video by Brian Lagerstrom

The Lobster Bisque You'll Actually Make (Easier Method)

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Lobster tails4 oz each; can substitute 12 easy-peel shrimp4
Clam juice1000 ml
Dry white wineChardonnay-adjacent, not sweet250 g
Chicken stockBoxed or homemade1000 ml
Chicken or lobster better than bouillon20 g
Garlic clovesAbout 25–30g, pressed6
Large white onionAbout 300g, roughly chopped1
Celery stalksAbout 200g, roughly chopped6
Carrots

Steps

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1
Prepare the lobster tails. Pour clam juice, white wine, chicken stock, and bouillon into a saucepan.
2
Bring the liquid to a hard boil for 5 minutes, then turn off heat and add the lobster tails. The liquid should be around 175–180°F at this point. Set a timer for 6 minutes (or 4 minutes if using shrimp).
3
Check the internal temperature of the lobster tails with an instant-read thermometer; it should be 130–135°F. Transfer to the fridge to cool for about 5 minutes.
4
Use kitchen scissors to cut the lobster tails open along the center from both sides. Peel off the outer shell and refrigerate the meat.
5
Chop the lobster shells into chunky pieces. Roughly chop the onion, celery, and carrots; press the garlic. For the lobster meat, cut the largest tail into large bite-sized pieces for garnish, and chop the rest into smaller pieces.
6
In a large soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, butter, and chopped lobster shells. Fry for 5–6 minutes to infuse the fat with lobster flavor.
7
Strain the shells out of the butter through a fine-mesh strainer and discard them. Return the pot and strained butter to medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and a large pinch of salt; sweat for 5–6 minutes without browning.
8
Add red pepper flakes and paprika; stir to combine. Add 75g of all-purpose flour and stir to make a roux.
9
Stir in the entire can of tomato paste and combine it with the roux, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the lobster cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
10
Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
11
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup for at least 3 minutes until smooth and velvety (or use a regular blender). Taste for seasoning and adjust salt. Add a small amount of sugar (about 2g) to enhance the lobster flavor.
12
Gently stir in the finely chopped lobster meat and let it warm through.
13
Ladle the bisque into bowls, ensuring each gets plenty of lobster meat. Garnish with the reserved chunky lobster pieces, drizzle with crème fraîche (sour cream thinned with heavy cream), finish with fresh black pepper and minced chives.

The Lobster Bisque (Easier Method)

Ingredients

Steps

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