The Greatest Lobster Bisque
Prep
20m
Cook
75m
Total
95m
Bigly says
Sit. Pour yourself a coffee. We're doing this right. Lobster bisque. THE greatest lobster bisque. The greatest bisque of any kind, of any animal, of any ocean creature ever pulled out of cold water and turned into something elegant. I've had bisque in Maine. In Boston. On actual boats. In restaurants where the menu doesn't list a price — because if you have to ask, you can't afford it — and those restaurants are SHAKING right now, because this bisque, MY bisque, the one we're making today, is better than all of them. Every one. Hands down. A slaughter. Of bisques.
Here's what nobody tells you — the shells are where the flavor lives. The SHELLS. You can take the prettiest lobster meat in the world, the most expensive meat, the most beautiful chunks, and if you throw the shells in the trash, you've thrown the BISQUE in the trash. You've made cream soup with lobster in it. That is not bisque. That is a tragedy. If your chef tells you otherwise, find a new chef. Restaurant kitchens cut this corner all the time — they're in a hurry, they're cheap, they think you won't notice. You'll notice. Your tongue will notice. End of discussion.
We roast the shells. We simmer the shells. We blend, we strain, we coax every last bit of ocean out of those shells and INTO the soup. The lobstermen off the coast of Maine — tough guys, the kind who pull traps at 4 a.m. in February with ice in the beard — they taste this bisque, they don't even talk, they just nod, slowly, like a man who has finally understood something. That's the level. That's the BAR. Nobody disputes this.
Ingredients
- 2live lobsters (1.25-1.5 lb each)(or 1 lb cooked lobster meat plus 1.5 lb separate shells)
- 6 tbsp, dividedunsalted butter
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 largeyellow onion, diced
- 2 mediumcarrots, diced
- 2 ribscelery, diced
- 5 clovesgarlic, smashed
- 3 tbsptomato paste(this is the color and the depth, do not skip)
- 2 sprigsfresh tarragon
- 3 sprigsfresh thyme
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tspblack peppercorns
- 1 cupdry white wine
- 1/4 cupbrandy or cognac(the bisque without brandy is a SAD bisque)
- 6 cupsseafood or chicken stock
- 1/3 cuplong-grain white rice(thickens the bisque the proper way, no flour needed)
- 1 cupheavy cream
- to tastekosher salt
- 1/4 tspcayenne pepper
- 1 tsplemon juice
- 2 tbspfresh chives, minced (for serving)
Steps
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Plunge the lobsters in head first and cook 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking.
- 2
Working over a bowl to catch juices, twist off the tails and claws. Crack the shells and remove the meat. Chop the meat into bite-size pieces, cover, and refrigerate. Reserve every shell and the bodies — this is the flavor.
- 3
Roughly crush the reserved shells with a heavy knife or rolling pin to expose more surface area.
- 4
Heat 3 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the crushed shells and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until deeply red and aromatic.
- 5
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook 6-8 minutes until softened.
- 6
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2-3 minutes until it darkens and coats the shells.
- 7
Add the tarragon, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Pour in the wine and brandy. Carefully ignite with a long lighter to burn off the alcohol, or simmer 3 minutes uncovered. Scrape the bottom of the pot.
- 8
Add the stock and rice. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 9
Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing hard on the solids to extract all liquid. Discard the solids.
- 10
Working in batches, transfer the strained stock to a blender and puree until completely smooth. (For an ultra-silky bisque, strain again through the fine-mesh sieve.) Return to the pot.
- 11
Warm the bisque over medium-low heat. Whisk in the cream, cayenne, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt.
- 12
In a small skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the reserved lobster meat and warm through gently, 2 minutes — do not overcook.
- 13
Ladle bisque into warm bowls. Top each with a generous portion of buttered lobster meat and a sprinkle of chives. Serve immediately.
One more thing
When you set this bowl down at the table — when the cream is swirled and the lobster meat is glistening on top and the chives are doing that beautiful chive thing — your guests will go quiet. The kind of quiet you only hear in fancy restaurants and at the end of really good movies. They'll take one spoonful and look up at you with new eyes — different eyes — like they've just been informed of something important. Because they have. They've just learned what bisque is actually supposed to taste like. They will never go to a chain restaurant again. They might cry. It happens. Beautiful.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Greatest Lobster Bisque.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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