Description
Restaurant-quality lobster bisque made with just 2 lobster tails and a regular immersion blender. You'll get rich flavor and silky texture without wrestling a whole lobster or expensive equipment.
Ingredients
Units
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For the bisque:
- 2 lobster tails (5-6 oz each), removed from shells, shells reserved and lightly crushed
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 large shallots (about 3/4 cup diced)
- 2 stalks celery (about 3/4 cup diced)
- 1 large carrot (about 3/4 cup diced)
- 2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry sherry (or cognac)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon, diced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- 4 cups shellfish stock
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt, to taste
For garnish:
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped
- 1 1/2 cups torn bread pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh chives, diced
Instructions
- Cook the lobster. Dice lobster meat into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add lobster and sauté just until it starts to turn opaque, about 60-90 seconds. Remove and set aside.
- Build the base. Add diced vegetables, garlic, lobster shells, a generous pinch of salt, white pepper, and cayenne to the pot. Sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables soften.
- Add flour and tomato paste. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and shells, stirring to coat. Cook for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until it darkens, about 2 minutes.
- Deglaze and simmer. Increase heat to medium-high and add sherry. Cook, stirring, until absorbed. Add stock and whisk to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add tarragon and cook 5 minutes more, until vegetables are very tender.
- Blend and strain. Remove and discard large or hard shell pieces. Use an immersion blender to puree until completely smooth. Strain through 2 layers of cheesecloth set in a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot.
- Finish the bisque. Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup cream and lemon juice. Taste and add remaining cream if desired. Add lobster pieces back to bisque and let warm through for 60 seconds. Taste and adjust salt.
- Make the garnish. While bisque simmers, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add torn bread pieces, salt, and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until deeply golden and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Use a small whisk to whip heavy cream until slightly thickened.
- Serve. Ladle bisque into bowls. Top each with a dollop of lightly whipped cream, 3-4 buttery croutons, and fresh chives.
Notes
- Use kitchen shears to split the shell along the softer underside and remove tail meat, then cut shells into smaller pieces before cooking.
- Remove large, hard shell pieces before blending - this lets you use a regular immersion blender. Small shell pieces are fine to blend, then strain out. Alternately, you can pour the broth and shells into a high-powered blender and liquify before straining.
- Use 2 layers of cheesecloth in your fine mesh sieve. More layers give you watery bisque, fewer risk shell fragments.
- Make ahead: Prepare through step 5, then refrigerate up to 24 hours. Reheat gently and finish with cream, lemon, and lobster just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Easy Recipe
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 912
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 2996.7 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Carbohydrates: 87.1 g
- Protein: 41.8 g
- Cholesterol: 305.7 mg