Lobster Bisque

Skip this step if using a cooked lobster. See recipe notes above for instructions on how to proceed. 

In an 8- to 10-quart pot set over high heat, bring 6 cups water and the salt to a boil. Add the lobster, head first and cover the pot with a lid. 

Adjust the heat to a low boil, and steam for 18 to 20 minutes for a large lobster or 15 to 18 minutes for two small lobsters. The lobster will not be fully submerged in the water. When it’s done, the shell will be bright red. You should be able to twist off a leg easily. 

With tongs, remove the lobster and set it on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Pour the lobster cooking water into a second pot and set it aside for when you make the stock.

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, use a knife, kitchen shears, and if necessary, a mallet or lobster cracker to break or cut the shells and extract the meat. For detailed instructions, check out this post. It will walk you through the process. Work over the rimmed baking sheet to catch the juices, so you can add them to the stock later.

Transfer the lobster meat into a medium bowl. If the lobster has roe—the tiny red lobster eggs from a female lobster—add it too. Run your fingers through the smaller pieces of meat to find and remove any rogue shells. 

Rinse off any tomalley—the green gunky stuff stuck to the meat—under cold running water. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Cut the large pieces of meat into smaller bite-sized pieces and transfer them to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. 

With your hands or kitchen shears, break or cut the shells into 2- to 3-inch pieces. These will be used to flavor the stock.

Heat the same stock pot you used to cook the lobster over medium heat and add the oil. Add the cut-up lobster shells and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes until they turn a deeper shade of red. 

Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Cook stirring often for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Stir in the tomato paste, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Cook and stir for 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors. 

Add 5 cups of the lobster cooking water and the reserved juices on the baking sheet. If you don’t have the full amount of lobster cooking water, add additional water to make 5 cups of liquid.

Add the wine and the remaining 1 cup water. Bring it to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 45 minutes.

Set a colander over a large bowl and strain the stock to remove the shells and aromatics. Discard them. Rinse out the pot and strain the stock again into it, but this time through a fine mesh strainer.

In a small bowl, stir the butter and flour together until combined.

Add the sherry into the strained stock and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the beurre manié into the simmering stock and continue simmering for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the beurre manié dissolves and the bisque thickens. It should be the consistency of heavy cream. 

If the bisque is too thin, whisk in more beurre manié using a ratio of 1 part butter to 1 part flour.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes for the flour to thicken the bisque. The consistency should be light and creamy, not thick and heavy. If the bisque thickens too much, add more lobster stock or water, a little at a time.

Add the cream and bring it to a simmer again. Stir in the lobster meat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the lobster is heated through. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt if you’d like.

Ladle the bisque into bowls and serve warm.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in a lidded container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, but you do run the risk of it breaking (the cream curdles and separates) when you reheat it. To mitigate this, slowly reheat the bisque in a pot over low heat, whisking often and diligently so that it stays creamy and smooth.

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