Equipment
Ingredients
Lobster & Shell Stock
- 2 whole live lobsters, approx 700g each
- 30 ml olive oil
- 100 g carrot, chopped
- 100 g celery, chopped
- 45 g tomato paste
- 60 ml brandy or cognac
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 1500 ml fish stock
- 4 fresh thyme
Bisque Base
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 60 g shallots, minced
- 2 garlic
- 50 g white rice
- 15 g fresh tarragon, divided (stems vs leaves)
- 180 ml heavy cream
- 10 ml lemon juice
- 1 g cayenne pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 814 kcal
- Protein
- 76 g
- Carbohydrates
- 21 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 2123 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 19 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 520 mg
- Potassium
- 2037 mg
- Calcium
- 408 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 170 mg
- Phosphorus
- 643 mg
- Zinc
- 12.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 496 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 5.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 18 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 4.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.13 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.18 mg
- Niacin
- 6.2 mg
- Folate
- 59 mcg
- Water
- 375 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Plunge lobsters in head-first and boil for 5 minutes (par-cooked). Remove and immediately shock in an ice bath to stop cooking.
Once cool, separate the claws and tails. Remove the meat from the shells, cover, and refrigerate the meat. Crush the empty shells and bodies into smaller pieces using a mallet or rolling pin. Save any tomalley (green liver) if desired for extra richness.
Heat olive oil in the Dutch oven over high heat. Add the crushed shells. Sauté vigorously until they turn bright red and smell toasted.
Lower heat to medium. Add carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to darken its color (pincé).
Deglaze with brandy, scraping the bottom of the pot. (Safety: Remove from heat if using gas flame to avoid flare-ups). Add white wine and reduce liquid by half. Pour in fish stock (or water) to cover shells. Simmer gently for 45 minutes.
Strain the stock through a colander into a bowl, pressing hard on the shells to extract all flavor. Discard the shells. Wipe out the pot.
In the clean pot, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté shallots, garlic, and tarragon stems (reserve leaves) until translucent. Add the uncooked rice and stir for 1 minute.
Pour the strained lobster stock back into the pot with the rice. Simmer until the rice is completely overcooked and mushy, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove tarragon stems. Working in batches, transfer soup to a high-speed blender (fill only halfway and vent lid carefully). Blend until perfectly smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a velvet texture.
Return soup to low heat. Whisk in heavy cream and cayenne. Chop reserved lobster meat into bite-sized chunks and add to the soup just to warm through (2 minutes). Finish with lemon juice and minced fresh tarragon leaves.
Chef's Notes
- Using rice to thicken (a technique called 'bisque lié') is traditional and keeps the soup gluten-free while providing a lighter, silkier texture than flour roux.
- Don't skip the resting time after roasting the shells; pressing on the solids during straining extracts the 'olies' (flavorful oils) that carry the lobster essence.
- If you cannot find live lobster, use high-quality frozen tails. Roast the shells from the tails just as described to build the base flavor.
- Tarragon has a strong profile; add the finishing leaves gradually to ensure it doesn't overpower the delicate lobster sweetness.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store lobster meat separately from soup to prevent it from becoming rubbery.
Freezer: 1 month — Texture may separate slightly upon thawing; blend gently while reheating.
Reheating: Reheat soup base gently on stove; add meat only at the very end to warm through.
Troubleshooting
Soup has a gritty texture
Cause: Shell fragments remained or rice wasn't blended fully
Fix: Pass through a fine sieve or cheesecloth again
Prevention: Strain through a very fine mesh sieve (chinoise) after blending
Lobster meat is rubbery
Cause: Overcooked during par-boil or reheating
Fix: Chop meat finer to disguise texture
Prevention: Only par-boil initially; warm gently at the very end
Cultural Context
While 'Bisque' is a French creation originally thickened with crustacean shells ground into a paste, this version adapts the technique for the modern kitchen using rice. The inclusion of tarragon and shallots bridges the gap between classic French technique and the herbal freshness often found in New England coastal cuisine.
