Lobster Bisque

4 lobster tails cut in half lengthwise and rinsed

Combine 1 onion, 5 cloves of garlic, 2 carrots, 3 stalks of celery. Chopped

Boil lobster for 2 minutes(reserve this water). Let cool for a few minutes and then remove meat from shells. Dice into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate.

Add 8 TBSP butter and 2 TBSP olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add lobster shells and let brown about 5-7 minutes.

Add vegetables and some salt and pepper and stir. About 5 minutes.

Add 2 TBSP tomato paste and 2 TBSP Worcestershire. Stir for 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup brandy and stir. Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir. Simmer to scrap up pan and burn off alcohol - about 3-4 minutes.

Add 8 oz of clam juice and 3 cups of chicken stock. Then use the water you boiled the lobster tails in to just cover the vegetables if you need it - I used 1 cup.

Add 2 bay leaves and a handful of parsley. Add some sweet smoked paprika, pinch of coriander, salt and pepper and 1 tsp old bay. Simmer uncovered for 1 hr.

Strain. Grab 1-2 cups of vegetables and add to broth. Be sure to omit the and shells. Blend with an immersion blender or use a high powered blender. By using the vegetables, it will not only boost the flavor but it will help improve the texture of your bisque. (If your blender didn't do a good enough job here, you can put your soup through a sieve to catch any remaining bits of vegetables that didn't get blended.)

Combine 2 TBSP cornstarch with 1 cup of half and half. Whisk. Add it in the pot and blend. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. 

Add in some sweet paprika and old bay for color, if needed. Keep warm. You can heat but don’t boil.

To finish cooking the lobster, add 4 TBSP butter to a pan on low. Add lobster meat in pieces with a little salt, pepper and old bay. Heat just for about 2-3 minutes or until opaque and cooked through. 

Ladle bisque into bowels. Top with lobster meat and garnish with chives. 

Wine Pairing (and wine I cooked with): 

Merryvale

2023

Chardonnay

Petaluma Gap, CA