Lobster Bisque Soup Du Jour Recipe

Prepare and cook lobsters

Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the live Maine lobsters (2) and cook 6–8 minutes until bright red and shell meat is opaque. Remove lobsters and cool briefly. Reserve 10 oz of cooked tail and knuckle meat (for garnish); refrigerate. Crack the remaining shells and claws roughly and set aside for stock.

Sweat aromatics with shells

In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, melt 2 tbs unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the coarsely chopped onion (1 cup), carrot (1 cup), celery (2 stalks) and smashed garlic (3 cloves). Cook, stirring, 6–8 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the cracked lobster shells and claws and stir to coat for 2–3 minutes.

Add 2 tbs tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly. Pour in 1 cup dry white wine to deglaze, scraping any browned bits. Add 10 cups cold water, bay leaves (2), peppercorns (10), thyme (3 sprigs), parsley stems (3 sprigs) and 1.5 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 35–45 minutes to extract flavor (do not vigorously boil).

Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing solids to extract liquid. Discard shells and solids. Taste and adjust seasoning; you should have roughly 8–9 cups of lobster stock. Keep warm. Reserve a cup of stock for the bisque base if needed.

Make the roux and aromatic base

In a separate heavy pot, melt 3 tbs unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the finely diced shallots (1 cup), finely diced carrot (1/2 cup) and finely diced celery (1 stalk). Sauté 6–8 minutes until softened and translucent. Sprinkle in 3 tbs all-purpose flour and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes to cook the raw flour taste and form a blond roux; do not brown.

Slowly whisk in 4 cups of the warm lobster stock into the roux in two additions until smooth, preventing lumps. Add 1/2 cup tomato concassé (or strained tomatoes), 1/2 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp cayenne. Simmer gently 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly.

Finish with cream & sherry

Reduce heat to low. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tbs cream sherry. Add 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. Simmer 3–4 minutes to marry flavors — do not boil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the bisque is too thick, add additional reserved lobster stock 1/4 cup at a time to reach desired silky consistency.

Warm and season lobster meat

While the bisque finishes, warm the reserved 10 oz lobster meat by tossing gently with 1 tbs melted unsalted butter, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Warm in a sauté pan over low heat 1–2 minutes — just enough to take the chill off and glaze the meat. Do not overcook.

Ladle hot bisque into warmed bowls, distributing lobster meat evenly among servings (about 2.5 oz per serving). Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of finely snipped fresh chives (1 tbs total) and an extra tiny drizzle of cream sherry if desired.