Chef’s Lobster Bisque Recipe

🧂 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 2 pound lobsters
• 1 large peeled and medium-diced onion
• 1 large peeled and medium-diced carrot
• 1 medium-diced celery
• 1/4 fennel

  core removed
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 Roma tomato cut into quarters
• 2 large fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/4 cups Brandy
• 1 cup dry Vermouth
• 1 cup port wine
• 12 cups chicken stock or water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 recipe for slurry
• sea salt and ground white pepper for garnish
• crème fraiche for garnish
• optional cooked lobster meat for garnish
• thinly sliced fresh chives for garnish

Instructions

• 1 If you’re using live lobsters, you will need to cut them in half. Place the tip
  of your knife about 3” down from the head of the lobster where there is a T.
  Press down through the head with the tip of the knife, then roll the knife down
  to the cutting board.
• 2 Turn the lobster around and do the same thing slicing through the tail
  completely.
• 3 Remove the tomalley, stomach, and intestinal tract. Rinse the inside of the
  lobsters.
• 4 Remove the tail meat by pressing down on the tail where the legs are pulling the
  meat up. You may also need to slice where the tail meets the lobster body to
  help loosen the meat. Set them aside in the refrigerator. Next, optionally
  remove the claw and knuckle meat by breaking the claws using the backside of
  your chef knife. Set them aside in the refrigerator.
• 5 Add the olive oil to a pan over medium-low heat and caramelize the garlic cloves
  slightly, which takes about 2 minutes.
• 6 Next, place in the lobsters and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes or until they turn
  bright red.
• 7 Stir in the vegetables and saute until lightly caramelized, which takes 10 to 12
  minutes.
• 8 Add in the tomato paste and stir until everything is coated. Pince the tomato
  paste until it becomes a rusty color. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes.
• 9 Deglaze with the 1 cup of brandy and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced
  by one-half. It may also just suck right into the ingredients in the pot. If it
  does that, immediately go to the next procedures.
• 10 Pour in the Vermouth and cook down until the liquid is reduced by one-half. Add
  the Port wine and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by one-half.
• 11 Pour in the chicken stock and the tomato and basil leaves.
• 12 Simmer at low to medium heat for 45 minutes.
• 13 Strain the lobster stock through a fine mesh strainer, chinois, or cheesecloth.
• 14 Return the stock to the pot and cook over high heat until the amount of liquid
  is reduced by 1/3.
• 15 Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the heavy whipping cream.
• 16 Thicken the bisque with slurry or beurre manié until thick.
• 17 Season with sea salt and ground white pepper.
• 18 Mix in a ¼ cup of brandy.
• 19 Serve with optional butter-poached lobster, or cooked claw meat, and crème
  fraiche and chopped fresh chives.

Nutrition Info