Equipment
Ingredients
Lobster & Base
- 2 live lobsters, whole
- 470 ml water
- 10 g kosher salt
Aromatics & Broth
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 celery, chopped
- 2 garlic, crushed
- 2 fresh thyme, whole sprigs
- 2 fresh tarragon, whole sprigs
- 30 g tomato paste
- 1 g cayenne pepper
- 240 ml medium dry sherry
- 470 ml clam juice
- 100 g long-grain white rice
Finishing
- 240 ml heavy cream
- sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 425 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1420 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 68 mg
- Potassium
- 272 mg
- Calcium
- 62 mg
- Iron
- 0.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 21 mg
- Phosphorus
- 83 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 266 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.14 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 14 mcg
- Water
- 263 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Fill the large pot with the water and kosher salt. Bring to a boil (100°C/212°F). Add the live lobsters, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam until they are bright red and reach an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F in the thickest part of the tail.
Remove the lobsters and let them cool slightly. Extract the meat from the claws and tails, reserving any liquid that comes out of the shells. Using a chef's knife and cutting board, roughly chop the meat and refrigerate it. Roughly chop the empty shells into small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in the wiped-out large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped white onion, carrot, celery, crushed garlic, fresh thyme, and fresh tarragon. Saute until the onions are completely translucent.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chopped lobster shells to the vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cayenne pepper. Cook for an additional 4 minutes until the paste is fragrant and slightly caramelized.
Pour the medium dry sherry into the pot. Ignite carefully to flambe, or cook over medium-high heat until the harsh alcohol aroma has completely evaporated and the liquid reduces.
Pour in the clam juice and 240ml of the reserved lobster-steaming liquid from the first step. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover with the lid, and let it cook undisturbed.
Strain the intensely flavored broth through the fine mesh sieve into the large bowl. Press down extremely hard on the shells and vegetables to extract as much liquid and fat as possible. Discard the remaining dry solids. Wipe the pot clean.
Return the strained broth to the pot. Add the long-grain white rice. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice grains are extremely soft and breaking apart.
Transfer the hot soup carefully to the blender and process on high until completely smooth. For an ultra-refined texture, pass the bisque through the rinsed fine mesh sieve once more into the large bowl.
Return the smooth bisque to the pot over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer (85°C/185°F). Add the reserved chopped lobster meat just to heat through, ensuring it reaches at least 63°C/145°F for food safety. Do not let the soup boil. Season to taste with sea salt and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The brilliant secret of this recipe is using long-grain white rice as a thickener instead of a traditional flour roux. This not only makes the bisque naturally gluten-free but yields a silkier, more stable emulsion.
- Do not wash the rice before adding it to the broth. You want the surface starches intact to help thicken the bisque.
- Pressing hard on the shells during the straining process is crucial. The shells and their marrow contain a massive amount of flavor and fat that must be extruded into the broth for authentic depth.
- When flambeing the sherry, always turn off the overhead exhaust fan first to prevent drawing flames up into the ventilation hood.
- Never let the soup come to a hard boil after adding the heavy cream, as the dairy can split and ruin the luxurious texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil, or the cream may curdle.
Troubleshooting
Soup texture is grainy or gritty
Cause: Rice was not cooked long enough before blending, or the final sieve pass was skipped
Fix: Pass the soup through a very fine chinois or mesh strainer again while hot
Prevention: Ensure rice is cooked until completely falling apart (at least 30 minutes) and always pass the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve
Cream curdled or separated
Cause: Soup was allowed to boil rapidly after the heavy cream was added
Fix: Cannot be fixed perfectly, but a quick pulse in the blender can temporarily re-emulsify it before serving
Prevention: Only bring to a gentle simmer once dairy is incorporated and use heavy cream rather than milk
Cultural Context
Lobster bisque is a classic French crustacean soup that has become a hallmark of New England coastal fine dining. This particular adaptation honors the legendary version served by Executive Chef James Sakatos at The Carlyle hotel in New York City. By utilizing rice instead of a flour-based roux to thicken the soup, it achieves a pristine, velvety texture while remaining completely gluten-free.
