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one plain bowl of smooth orange-pink lobster bisque with a few small white lobster meat chunks edged in red visible in the soup, with no lobster shells, claws, cream swirl, herbs or garnish
Rachel Kim

Lobster Bisque

The tail shells make the stock here, so keep them when you remove the raw lobster meat. A short simmer with the vegetables gives the bisque its seafood flavor before the meat ever enters the pan. Strain those shells out carefully and use soft rice to give the blended base body. Poach the lobster pieces in the finished soup at the end; leaving them in through the stock-making stage would give you tough pieces in an otherwise smooth bowl. The small amount of wine cooks with the shell stock, and the cream goes in only once the broth has been blended.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 raw lobster tails about 5 oz each, thawed in the refrigerator if frozen
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 small carrot diced
  • 1 celery stalk diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp uncooked long-grain white rice
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream

Method
 

  1. Cut the underside of each lobster tail shell with kitchen shears and lift out the raw meat. Remove any dark intestinal vein, cut meat into 1-inch pieces and refrigerate; rinse the shells and cut them into large pieces.
  2. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and celery for 7 minutes, then stir in tomato paste and shells for 2 minutes.
  3. Add wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Add water and bay leaf, cover partly and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
  4. Lift out and discard the large shells and bay leaf. Pour the stock and vegetables through a fine sieve lined with damp cheesecloth into a clean pot, pressing gently for liquid, then discard the strained solids; never blend shells.
  5. Add rice, salt and cayenne to the strained stock. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until rice is very soft, then blend the rice into the liquid with an immersion blender until smooth.
  6. Stir in cream and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the refrigerated lobster meat and cook gently for 4 to 6 minutes until opaque throughout and 145°F in the thickest pieces.
  7. Divide the bisque and lobster pieces evenly among 4 bowls and serve immediately.