Lobster Bisque Recipe

Poach and Reserve Meat

Bring 3 liters of water to a rolling simmer in a large stockpot with 2 tbs butter. Add live lobsters headfirst and poach 6–8 minutes until shells turn bright red and meat is just opaque. Remove lobsters and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. When cool enough to handle, crack shells and remove meat from tails and claws. Reserve about 1 cup chopped lobster meat chilled for finishing. Keep shells and any tomalley for the stock.

Roughly chop the shells (tails, claws, knuckles) into smaller pieces and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt 4 tbs unsalted butter over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, celery and sauté until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8–10 minutes. Add minced shallots and smashed garlic and cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

Push vegetables to the side and add the 2 tbs tomato paste. Cook tomato paste 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly—this deepens the bisque’s flavor.

Add the chopped lobster shells to the pot with the mirepoix and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and sauté the shells for 5–6 minutes, turning occasionally, to toast and release flavor.

Deglaze with 1 cup dry white wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 2–3 minutes.

Add brandy or cognac (1 tbs). If comfortable and experienced, you may flambé carefully to burn off alcohol; otherwise, stir and let the alcohol cook off for 1 minute.

Pour in the reserved poaching liquid (if clarified) and the additional 1 liter fish stock or water so that shells are covered by about 1–1.5 inches of liquid. Add bay leaves, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, kosher salt, and paprika.

Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, partially covered, to extract flavor from shells.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot or bowl. Press on shells to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible, then discard shells and solids.

Return strained stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the stock by about one-third over medium heat until it is more concentrated and flavorful, about 15–25 minutes.

Optional: For a silkier bisque, reserve 1/2 cup of the sautéed mirepoix vegetables and purée them with 1/2 cup of the reduced stock in a blender until smooth, then return the purée to the pot.

Stir in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer—do not boil hard once cream is added. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Whisk in cold diced butter (2 tbs) off the heat to mount the bisque and give it a glossy finish. Add 1 tbs fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor.

Fold in the reserved chopped lobster meat and warm gently for 2–3 minutes until lobster is heated through. If using sherry or cognac for finishing, stir in now.

Ladle bisque into warmed bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of heavy cream or a small knob of butter, sprinkle with snipped chives, and grind fresh black pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.