Lobster Bisque (Plus Video)

Valentine’s Day is around the corner – yes, I know. You can’t miss it! 

It’s already too late to book anything in my neck of the woods by now. But I’m not going to worry about that because I’m totally fine dining at home with this bisque here. ❤

This classic Lobster Bisque recipe is as good (or better) as those you pay a hefty amount for at a fancy-schmancy restaurant without the hefty price tag. 😉

Contents… Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Soup Recipes to Try Watch How To Make It

What is Lobster Bisque?

Lobster Bisque is a classic entree of French origin, and it’s a creamy, smooth, and flavorful soup based on a strained lobster broth. But you could also use the same method with crabs, shrimps, or crayfish. Oh yeah!

Bisque is actually a method of extracting flavor from crustaceans (hard-shelled sea creatures) by simmering with aromatics to create an intensely flavored stock, then strained, simmered again, and pureed. Talk about some intensely delicious flavor!

Recipe Ingredients

Restaurant-quality dining at home has never been this good with our scrumptious Lobster Bisque. Believe me; this will surely impress your boo! So let’s get started! ❤

• Lobster Tails – The best part about this recipe is that it’s affordable. Instead of buying a whole lobster, you can use fresh or frozen lobster tails.
• Garlic, Onion, and Celery – You’ll love the holy trinity not only for its wonderful fragrance and flavor but also for its exceptional health benefits. Please see How to Mince Garlic and How to Cut Onions for time-saving cutting techniques.
• Fresh Thyme – Our dish becomes fancier thanks to fresh thyme’s herby and minty notes. Check out these Thyme Substitutes that you can use. 
• Dry White Wine – For best-tasting soup, use high-quality dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. Any one of them is perfect for lobster recipes. But you can skip it if you’re not fond of wine.
• Worcestershire Sauce – This multipurpose sauce adds a layer of rich, robust flavor to our hearty soup, giving it more character.
• Creole Seasoning – This blend of herbs and spices will surely amp up the flavor of our lobster bisque. Make it more personalized with my Homemade Creole Seasoning. Feel free to omit or add more herbs and spices to suit your palate. 😉
• Lobster Stock – See the instructions below to make your own lobster stock, and it’ll give you richer and more flavorful brisque. Don’t feel bad if you decide to buy ready-made broth or replace it with chicken broth. 👌
• Heavy Cream – The velvety smooth and creamy luxuriant feel and taste in our fancy bisque is brought to you by heavy cream. Oh yes! And to make it paleo, simply replace heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream.

How to Make Lobster Bisque

Prepare the Lobster Stock

1. Boil Lobster Tails – Start by boiling the lobster tails for about 3-4 minutes, long enough for the shells to turn slightly red. Let it cool. (Photo 1)
2. Let it Cool and Set Aside – Once cool, remove lobster tails from the pot and reserve the stock.
3. Crack the Shells and Remove Meat – Place the tail on its side on the counter and use both hands to press down the tail until the shell cracks. Then hold the tail, flippers facing you, and shell facing down, with your thumbs on opposite sides. Pull back on both sides to crack open the shell and remove meat. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen shear to cut down the center of the tail. Then remove the lobster meat. Either way, it works. (Photo 2)
4. Boil and Simmer the Shells – Return the lobster shells to the pot, then add 4-5 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to gently simmer another 20-25 minutes; if time permits, simmer for an additional 20 minutes. (Photo 3)
5. Chop the Lobster Meat – Chop the lobster meat into bite-sized pieces while the stock is simmering. Chill until ready to be used. (Photo 4)
6. Strain and Set Aside – When ready, strain the shells from the stock and reserve the lobster stock.

Saute and Simmer

1. Saute – Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Then saute onion, garlic, celery, and thyme, and cook for about 4-5 minutes. (Photo 5)
2. Add Wine and Seasonings – Slowly add the wine, if using any, then stir in the Worcestershire, Creole Seasoning, paprika, and white pepper. Cook for about a minute. (Photo 6)
3. Simmer – Then stir in the tomato paste, followed by the lobster stock. Simmer for about 8- 10 minutes. (Photo 7)
4. Add Cream and Butter – Pour in the cream and butter and let the butter melt, then remove from stove. (Photos 8-10)
5. Puree – Pour it into a blender and puree. Puree in batches to prevent pressure from building up inside. Alternatively, you may use a stick blender in the pot until your bisque is smooth.
6. Adjust Seasoning – Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, if desired.
7. Add Butter and Lobster Meat – Place a saucepan over medium heat, then add about a tablespoon butter to it followed by the chopped lobster meat, lightly season with Creole seasoning, and simmer for a minute or two until warmed through.
8. Garnish and Serve – Top individual bisques with lobster and serve immediately.

Recipe Variations

• Seafood – Clams, shrimp, oyster, crayfish, and crab are popular bisque variations. Try my Shrimp Bisque if you can’t find lobster at the moment. 😉
• Vegetarian – And, of course, you can make yummy bisque with fresh veggies, too, like my hearty Tomato Bisque. Technically, tomatoes are a fruit, but I don’t put them in my fruit salad. (Pardon the nerdy explanation. 😜) Squash, corn, potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes also make an excellent base for bisque.
• Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Keto – Believe it or not, this recipe is actually low-carb and keto-approved since we didn’t add flour or rice to thicken our soup. Oh yes! Another reason to enjoy this bisque recipe. Woohoo!

Tips and Tricks

• Lobster tails are usually in the frozen seafood section at most grocery stores. If you go for fresh lobsters, make sure they’re straight out of the sea and still alive. Then keep them alive until the very last second, which also means that you have to dim its lights yourself because it goes bad too quickly to take chances.
• You may swap white wine with brandy – it has a sweet aroma and subtler presence. Or just add more stock if you want to exclude alcohol. 
• You can do the last round of straining through a fine-mesh strainer right from the blender.
• If you don’t mind waiting, you can save some dough by going on a lobster hunt a week after Valentine’s Day. That’s because frozen lobster usually goes on sale around that time.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Lobster Bisque is best enjoyed as soon as it’s done cooking and slurping it while it’s hot. Yum!

I don’t recommend making it ahead since both lobster and heavy cream don’t do well in the freezer. The taste will be the same, but the texture will be noticeably different. But in the case of leftovers:

• Store – Let it completely cool before transferring to an airtight container.
• Refrigerate – Leftovers can be safely refrigerated for up to two days maximum. This goes for most seafood dishes as well.
• Freeze –  I do not recommend freezing leftovers because of the dairy content. The water and fat from the heavy cream will separate and result in grainy and curdled brisque once thawed, while the lobster meat may end up a little tough and rubbery.
• Reheat – Heat over low heat on the stovetop, covered, occasionally stirring until hot. If reheating a small serving, put it in the microwave on medium power for 30-second blasts until it’s heated up as you want. Again, the lobster may come out a little chewy and rubbery after reheating.

FAQs

What to Serve with Lobster Bisque

Make it a cozy dinner date with some good music in the background, good wine, and amazing side dishes like these recipes below.

• Corn on the Cob
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
• Baked Crispy Potato Wedges
• Garlic Bread
• Brioche Bread

More Soup Recipes to Try

• Chicken Corn Chowder
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Sweet Potato Soup
• Hamburger Soup
• Carrot Ginger Soup

Watch How to Make It

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This blog post was first published in February 2018 and has been updated with additional key information, and photos.