Lobster Bisque

Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned, French soup classically based on a strained broth or “coulis” made of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. Alongside chowder, Lobster bisque is the most popular seafood soup.

Recipe provided by

Ingredients

2 (1.25 pound) Maine lobsters, about 1/2lb of picked meatShop

2 quarts shellfish or fish stock, or water
10 allspice berries
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
8 tablespoons butter
4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions, chopped
½ cup rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
2 cups white wine
Maine Sea Salt
½ cup sour cream or heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy

Serves: 6-8

Directions

Combine the stock, allspice, cloves, and bay leaf in a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.

Add the lobsters, cover the pot, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Place

the lobsters in a bowl to cool, keeping the liquid in the pot. Working over the bowl to catch all the juices, crack the shells and remove the meat. Reserve the meat. Return the shells and juices to the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the fortified stock through a fine mesh

strainer. Reserve the stock.

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onions, and rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Stir in the tomato paste and mace. Cook until the tomato paste has darkened in color and its aroma has softened. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until the alcohol smell dissipates.

Add the reserved stock, and season with salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the rice and carrots are fully cooked, about 30 minutes.

Reserve half of the lobster meat for garnish. Add the remaining meat to the stock and remove the pot from the heat. Blend until the mixture is very smooth and silky. Strain the soup though a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a ladle. Discard any solids that do not pass through the strainer. Gently reheat the bisque. Whisk in the sour cream and brandy. Season with salt and garnish with the reserved lobster meat and serve immediately.