Lobster Bisque
Chunks of garlic butter lobster simmer in this creamy, lightened-up lobster bisque that is dairy-free, but so full of decadent flavor, you won’t miss the heavy cream.
New Year’s Eve deserves a special meal, but if you can only get 2 lobster tails and you have 5 people to feed, you need to stretch that lobster, so lobster bisque is a perfect solution! Everyone gets a bite of the delicacy from the sea bathed in a flavorful bisque.
A bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish. Alongside chowder, bisque is one of the most popular seafood soups.
I use a classic Mirepoix for the base of the soup – equal parts celery, carrots, and onion, and I add shallot and garlic to intensify the flavors. Fresh thyme, tomato paste, and white wine or sherry are added to create a luxurious base for the lobster stock.
Flour is an essential ingredient in bisque to help thicken the soup. If you are following a gluten-free diet, you can substitute chickpea flour or use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
The pièce de résistance of this bisque is sauteing the lobster in a garlic butter sauce before adding it to the bisque. The chunks of garlic butter lobster add an irresistible layer of flavor.
Lobster Bisque Ingredients
- 2 – 3 lobster tails
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or chickpea flour if keeping it gluten-free
- 1 1/4 cup white wine
- 5 cups lobster stock, or seafood stock (Recipe for lobster stock follows)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup coconut cream or heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Butter Lobster
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Lobster Stock
Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
Add the lobster tails and cook until the tails are bright red – about 5 minutes.
Remove lobster tails and reserve the boiling water as the base for the stock. Allow the tails to cool slightly, then use kitchen shears to cut the lobster tails and remove the meat. Refrigerate the lobster meat while preparing the bisque.
Place the empty shells back into the reserved water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes to make lobster stock.
Lobster Bisque
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, celery, shallot, and thyme and saute until soft about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute.
Add the tomato paste and mix to coat the veggies. Add the flour, stirring to coat, and cook the flour taste out, about 2 minutes.
Add the wine, stir and cook for a few minutes to reduce slightly. Add the lobster stock or seafood broth and stir to incorporate. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the soup thickens slightly.
Remove from the heat and add to a blender in batches to blend until smooth. Return back to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the coconut cream or heavy cream and stir until thick and smooth.
Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 2 cloves of garlic. Chop the reserved lobster meat and add to the skillet. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and saute just until the lobster meat is warmed through (about 1 minute).
Add the lobster meat to the bisque and serve.
Additional Lobster Recipes
Lobster Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 lobster tails
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or chickpea flour if keeping it gluten-free
- 1 1/4 cup white wine
- 5 cups lobster stock or seafood stock (Recipe for lobster stock follows)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup coconut cream or heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Butter Lobster
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
Lobster Stock
- Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the lobster tails and cook until the tails are bright red - about 5 minutes.
- Remove lobster tails and reserve the boiling water as the base for the stock. Allow the tails to cool slightly, then use kitchen shears to cut the lobster tails and remove the meat. Refrigerate the lobster meat while preparing the bisque.
- Place the empty shells back into the reserved water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes to make lobster stock.
Lobster Bisque
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, celery, shaloot and thyme and saute until soft about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute.
- Add the tomato paste and mix to coat the veggies. Add the flour, stirring to coat and cook the flour taste out, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine, stir and cook for a few minutes to reduce slightly. Add the lobster stock or seafood broth and stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil, then add the vegetable bouillon and stir to incorporate. Reduce to a simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the soup thickens slightly.
- Remove from the heat and add to a blender in batches to blend until smooth. Return back to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the coconut cream or heavy cream and stir until thick and smooth.
- Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 2 cloves of garlic. Chop the reserved lobster meat and add to the skillet. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and saute just until the lobster meat is warmed through (about 1 minute).
- Add the lobster meat to the bisque and serve.
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