Lobster Bisque is an incredible, buttery, velvety rich and deeply savory classic soup. Perfectly layered flavor in every spoonful.
Flavorful Soup Recipes are the perfect way to combine your favorite veggies, and meat into one sensational dish. Try my Beef Noodle and Chicken and Rice Soup for more delicious options.
Sabrina’s Lobster Bisque Recipe
This classic Lobster Bisque recipe lets you enjoy buttery seafood flavor cooked into a comforting and hearty soup. It is easy to add amazing spices to customize the flavor, so even family members who aren’t the biggest seafood fans can enjoy it. Pair with a delicious Green Goddess Salad, and your favorite store-bought loaf of bread, or a fresh-baked bread like French Bread. Tips on how to find the best lobster tails are mentioned below.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 leeks , trimmed, cleaned and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
Lobster Stock:
- Remove the lobster meat from the shell and set aside.
- Add the tail shells and 2 tablespoons butter to a large heavy bottomed dutch oven or pot on medium heat.
- Cook on medium heat until the tails are pink and starting to barely brown.
- Deglaze pot with white wine and reduce by 75% cooking for 5-7 minutes.
- Add four cups of water, bay leaves, thyme and black peppercorns.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Pour liquids through a chinois or fine strainer into a large bowl.
Lobster Bisque:
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter on medium heat to the empty pot on medium heat.
- Add the lobster meat and cook for 2 minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Remove the lobster and cover to keep warm.
- Add leeks and garlic to the pot and stir.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until leeks are translucent.
- Add in flour and stir until flour is absorbed.
- Whisk in the lobster stock, tomato paste, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until soup has thickened.
- While soup is cooking dice HALF the lobster very finely or add to your food processor and pulse to a very fine dice.
- Add the minced lobster back into the pot, stir in heavy cream and sour cream and bring to a simmer.
- Garnish with chives.
- Chop the remaining tails into large chunks and top soup with chunks.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
When you’re buying lobster tails, there are a few things to look for to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. First, check the meat for any yellowing or dark spots, and make sure the tails aren’t gray. You want to avoid lobster meat with discoloration. Though it’s a little more expensive, I’d always recommend picking cold water lobster over warm water.
Table of contents
Can this be made ahead of time?
For a deeper flavor, you can make this soup 1-2 days in advance, but don’t add the cream until you’re ready to reheat and serve.
How to Store
- Serve: Make sure you don’t leave your bisque out for more than 2 hours, or it will go bad.
- Store: To keep leftovers fresh, wait for the Lobster Bisque to completely cool. Then transfer it to an airtight container. It should stay good in the fridge for 2 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. However, the cream may separate from the rest of the soup when you reheat it. To help prevent that, be sure to let the bisque thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat it in a pot on the stovetop, stirring as you go to blend any separated ingredients.
Frequent Questions
To easily remove meat from lobster shells, start by removing the fins from the end of the tail. Hold the lobster tail tightly from the center so that the meat is exposed on either end. Then poke fork tines (or another thin but firm object) into the end of the lobster you pulled the fins off. As you push the fork tines through, the meat should come out the other end.
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