Lobster Bisque
Lobster Bisque
Lobster bisque is an extremely decadent, rich, flavorful soup. I recently made a large batch for a member’s brunch at the Allegheny Club. The secret to successful lobster bisque is to not rush the dish. Prepare this velvety soup when you have a few hours of time to dedicate to it.
Prep time 2 hours Serves 8-10 Ingredients: 1 pound unsalted butter 1 cup chopped Vidalia or sweet onion 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped shallots 3 cloves minced garlic 2 cups tomato paste 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup unbleached flour 4 lobster tails, 8-12 ounces each 2 cups good quality sweet sherry 2 tablespoons Kosher, or sea salt 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper 3 quarts heavy whipping cream 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme Directions: Place 1 pound of butter in a large stainless steel stockpot over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onions, carrots, celery, shallots and minced garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of Kosher or sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Stir this mixture every three minutes until all of the vegetables become caramelized, approximately 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sugar to the vegetable mixture. Stir continuously for 5 minutes. Add the flour- stir for another 5 minutes. Place the lobster tails on a clean working surface. With kitchen shears, or a chef’s knife, make an incision down the length of the tail exposing the flesh. Remove the meat from the tail, cut into 1’ cubes, and set aside. Add the lobster shells to the tomato paste/veggie/flour mixture. Crush the shells with a wooden spatula- continue to blend all of the ingredients thoroughly. Let this mixture cook for 10-12 minutes. Deglaze the stock pot with the sweet cooking sherry making sure to loosen all of the flavor bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream, and continue to stir. Turn the heat to low, and let the soup continue to cook for 30-45 minutes. The bisque should reduce by 20-25% during this process. When the bisque has completed cooking, turn off the heat and strain the shells through a fine sieve making sure to remove all unpalatable bits. Return the strained bisque to a clean stainless steel soup pot on low heat. Add the uncooked lobster meat, and cook for 12-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings, garnish with chopped chives and lobster meat. Serve.
Chef Chuck Kerber
