This Easy Lobster Bisque is the fabulous gourmet starter you didn’t know you needed! You’re going to love this creamy soup made with buttery lobster tails, seafood stock, and fresh herbs.
Easy Lobster Bisque
If you’ve ever eaten a truly good lobster bisque made with fresh lobster, you know how additionally special this soup is. Creamy, thick, and infused with lobster flavor, the highly seasoned dish is a seafood lover’s delight! It’s one of my favorite soups, hands down.
The problem with lobster bisque, though, is that traditionally it’s a rather complicated recipe. For instance, the Julia Child recipe includes sections on making mirepoix, sautéing the lobster shells in olive oil, creating a sauce, cooking a separate batch of rice in seafood stock, chopping lobster meat, setting the cognac-laced dish ON FIRE… you get the picture. TOO much work.
My version is much, much simpler! 🙌 Although it’s homemade from scratch, the process has been streamlined for you to make everything easier. And, don’t worry! It’s still thick, creamy, and well-seasoned, with succulent pieces of lobster meat all throughout.
What is Bisque?
Originally, a bisque meant a creamy soup with a base made from the flavor-rich shells of seafood. It originated in France and these days any thick puréed soup with a cream base is considered a bisque. You’ll find lots of velvety bisques out there, from tomato to mushroom to this lobster version.
Other popular variations use crab, shrimp, crayfish and langoustine. If you want to be really traditional, serve this bisque soup in a two-handled cup on a saucer or in a large mug.
Recipe Ingredients
Lobster bisque starts with fresh lobster, but to simplify the whole lobster-cooking process, we’re using just the tails. Let’s do this!
- Lobster: For this recipe, I used four uncooked lobster tails.
- Olive Oil and Butter: For sautéing.
- Onion: Dice up a small onion; I typically use yellow onions but any kind will do.
- Celery: You’ll need three celery stalks, finely chopped.
- Carrots: Finely chopped carrots add sweetness to the bisque.
- Fresh Thyme and Rosemary: These classic herbs create fragrance and depth.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste. Freshly ground pepper is best.
- Garlic: Mince four cloves of garlic.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is such a useful ingredient! It’s a simple way to add a lot of flavor to just about any soup or stew. I like to purchase it in a tube for easy storage.
- Flour: Use a little all-purpose flour to thicken the bisque.
- Seafood Stock: You can make your own seafood stock, or purchase some.
- Dry White Wine: Make sure to use a your favorite dry tasty wine for a tasty finished dish.
- Bay Leaf: You’ll need one bay leaf.
- Cream: Use heavy cream here. It makes the bisque rich and velvety.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: For garnish.
How to Choose Lobster
When choosing lobster, the first thing to look for is a gray tinge or discolored areas. Steer clear of those! A speckled shell is fine. Speckled lobster is generally from a warm water locale, like Florida. Just try to look for tails that have an even color without any unpleasant, ammonia-like odor.
However, if you can find cold-water lobster, that’s the better buy, although typically pricier. Cold-water lobster, like the amazing ones that have made Maine famous, are known for cleaner, firmer, tastier meat.
Can I Use Frozen Lobster Tails?
Definitely! In fact, frozen seafood is often of higher quality than the fresh seafood at a supermarket. That’s because it is frozen right after being caught and cleaned. You can even cook them from frozen. No need to thaw.
How to Make Lobster Bisque
Making this bisque is very simple, especially if you start with all of your ingredients prepped and organized on your work surface.
- Cook the Lobster Tails. Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water, and set over high heat. Stir in a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Add the lobster tails to the boiling water; cover with a lid and continue to boil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the lobsters are bright red and fully cooked.
- Chop the Lobster Meat. Remove the cooked lobster tails from the boiling water, and set them aside to cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells and chop it up into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Sauté the Veggies. In the meantime, set a Dutch oven or heavy 6-quart soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the pot, and heat it up. Stir in your onions, celery, and carrots, along with the fresh thyme and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft and tender.
- Add Garlic, Tomato Paste, and Flour. Stir in the minced garlic and add the tomato paste; stir to coat all the veggies. Finally, sprinkle flour over the veggies and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add Liquids and Simmer. Pour in the seafood stock and wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot, stirring well to combine. Add the bay leaf and reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Blend. After the 30 minutes are up, remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. You can also use a regular blender or food processor, but don’t blend all the soup at once! Instead, blend in batches.
- Finish the Bisque. Stir in the heavy cream and the reserved lobster meat; cook for 5 more minutes, or until heated through. Taste for salt and pepper, adjusting as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Tips for Success
Level up your lobster bisque with one or more of these easy tips!
- Easy Lobster Stock: You can make your own stock for this dish with the leftover lobster shells. In a separate pot, melt a little butter and sauté the shells for a minute or two with some celery and onion. Then add about five cups of water and a splash of wine, and cook on low heat for about an hour.
- Cheesecloth for Extra Smoothness: To get the silkiest texture, strain the blended soup through layers of cheesecloth before adding the lobster meat and cream.
- Spice It Up: For a Louisiana kick, try stirring a little Creole seasoning into your bisque!
What Goes with Lobster Bisque Soup?
Lobster bisque is a special dish, so make sure to do it up right. Here are a few delicious ideas for serving.
- Steak: Creamy bisque is wonderful to serve as a starter for a hearty Oven Grilled Steak. It’s a match made in heaven!
- Pasta: Or play up the bisque’s creaminess with this Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach. The flavors will pair perfectly, and the hearty texture of the pasta accentuates the delicate lobster.
- Biscuits: Biscuits are my favorite with everything, obvs, but especially with lobster bisque! Try these super-simple Garlic and Cheddar Drop Biscuits. You’ll be a believah!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store leftovers, place in an airtight food storage container and refrigerate. Lobster bisque keeps for two to three days, refrigerated.
- Freezing bisque is not recommended, because the texture will degrade.
ENJOY!
CREAMY LOBSTER BISQUE
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails, (each should weigh about 6 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 to 6 cups seafood stock
- 1½ cups dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water and set over high heat.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the lobster tails to the boiling water; cover with a lid and continue to boil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through and lobsters are bright red. If cooking frozen lobsters, they may need a minute or two longer to cook.
- Remove cooked lobster tails from water and set aside to cool.
- When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells.
- Chop up the meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- In the meantime, set a dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium heat.
- Add olive oil and butter to the pot and heat it up.
- To the hot oil add onions, celery, and carrots.
- Stir in fresh thyme, rosemary, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft tender.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and stir to coat all the veggies; cook for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the veggies and cook for 1 more minute.
- Pour in seafood stock and wine; stir to combine.
- Add bay leaf; reduce heat to a simmer.
- Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaf.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. You can also use a regular blender or food processor, but don’t blend all the soup at once; blend in batches.
- Stir in heavy cream and reserved lobster meat; cook for 5 more minutes, or until heated through.
- Taste for salt and pepper; adjust to taste.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- NET CARBS: 7 g
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
