Lobster Bisque

Ingredients

• 1 whole lobster (or 4 lobster tails)
• 0.5 lb butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 ribs celery
• 2 carrots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 0.25 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 0.25 cup white wine
• 0.25 cup long grain white rice
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts lobster stock (OR 2 quarts chicken stock with a little bit of lobster bouillon (Better Than Bouillon lobster base recommended))
• chives (for garnish)
• tarragon (for garnish)
• salt (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   Bring your stock to a boil in a large pot.

2. 2

   Cook the lobster in the boiling stock. For a whole lobster, cook for 8 minutes per pound. For lobster tails, bring the stock to a boil, kill the heat, and drop in the tails for 6 minutes.

3. 3

   Once cooled, pick the lobster meat from the shell and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the meat and the shells separately.

4. 4

   Take the reserved shells and roughly pulse them in a blender or food processor until broken down.

5. 5

   In a pot, warm up the 1/2 lb of butter and steep the pulsed shells inside for 30-45 minutes over low heat. Maintain gentle bubbles but do not let the shells fry.

6. 6

   Strain the butter through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the shells. Reserve the lobster butter.

7. 7

   In the same pot used for the butter, cover the shells (or a portion of them) with the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.

8. 8

   Strain the cream and reserve this lobster-infused cream; discard the shells.

9. 9

   Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add the reserved lobster butter.

10. 10

    Add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onions are beginning to turn translucent.

11. 11

    Add the long grain white rice and toast it with the vegetables for an additional 2 minutes.

12. 12

    Stir in the smoked paprika, cayenne, and tomato paste. Cook until the tomato paste is very dry and has turned a dark, deep red color.

13. 13

    Deglaze the pot with the white wine, scraping the bottom, and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated and the pan is almost dry.

14. 14

    Add in the stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf.

15. 15

    Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is overcooked and has burst, and the vegetables are very soft.

16. 16

    Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add the reserved lobster cream to the pot.

17. 17

    Blend the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender or by transferring to a standard blender in batches.

18. 18

    Taste the bisque and adjust the salt as needed.

19. 19

    Add the cut lobster meat back into the soup. Let it warm through and allow the flavors to marry for 10 minutes before serving.

20. 20

    Serve hot, garnished with fresh chives and tarragon.

Notes

The rice acts as the thickening agent in this recipe, so it is important to cook it until it completely bursts before blending. If you don't have lobster stock, using chicken stock with Better Than Bouillon lobster base is a highly recommended substitute.

Nutrition per serving

• lobster bisque
• seafood
• soup
• main course
• French cuisine
• fancy dinner
• blended soup