Lobster Bisque

Directions

To steam the lobsters, set a lobster steamer or a steamer insert in a large stockpot. Fill the pot with 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil.

While the water comes to a boil, prep the lobsters: Place the tip of a large, sharp knife in the center of a lobster’s head, then swiftly insert the knife while bringing it down to be parallel with your cutting board. This is the most humane way to kill the lobsters before cooking.

Add the lobsters to the steamer basket, cover the pot and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and use tongs to carefully transfer the lobsters to a cutting board to cool. Then remove the meat from the shells following the instructions below, reserving the shells for the stock.

To break down the lobsters, when the lobsters are cool enough to handle, start by removing the tail, arms and legs from the body. To do so, hold the lobster body in one hand and the extremity in the other. Firmly twist in opposite directions and then pull. Inside of the cooked lobster you may find some green goo, called tomalley, which essentially is the liver. You can rinse this away and discard. You also may find lobster roe inside, which is reddish orange when cooked. You can rinse this away and discard, too. Set the body aside.

For the tail meat, use kitchen shears to cut down the backside and/or underside of the tail. Use your hands to crack the tail open and gently remove the meat.

For the claws, center the base of the claw in a lobster cracker and clamp down until the shell cracks. Rotate the claw and crack again until you can remove the bottom half of the shell. Create an opening in the claw shell wide enough for the meat to come out in one piece. Before removing the shell meat, crack the jointed pincher of the claw (the thumb) backwards, give it a twist, then carefully remove the shell and cartilage, keeping the meat attached to the rest of the claw. Carefully wiggle out the claw meat, using a lobster fork if needed. Try keeping the claws whole for a prettier presentation.

For the knuckles, place each knuckle in a lobster cracker and clamp down until the shell cracks. Use your hands to open the shell wide enough for the knuckle meat to slide through in one piece, carefully using kitchen shears, if needed. Use a lobster fork to gently scoop out the meat.

For the legs, remove them from the body and place on a cutting board, open side facing away from you. Place a rolling pin on the tip of the leg closest to you and roll it towards the other end while applying gentle pressure. This should encourage any leg meat to slide out of the shell.

Clean the lobster bodies by breaking them open and removing the gills and eyeballs so just the shell remains. Discard any small broken pieces of shell to avoid having to hand pick them out of the stock later.

To make the stock, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and melt 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) of the butter. Add the lobster shells and cook, stirring a few times, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, fennel, leek and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it is browned and caramelized, about 4 minutes. Pour in the sherry and use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the sherry simmer until it reduces by about half, about 5 minutes.

Add about 2 quarts (2 l) fish stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the stock, uncovered, until it has a rich lobster taste, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the heat and cool the stock before straining.

Strain the stock through a large fine-mesh sieve and set the liquid aside. Pick out all of the shells and discard, reserving the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables back to the pot along with 3 cups (24 fl. oz./750 ml) of the strained stock and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You want to achieve a consistency thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not so thick that it resembles more of a puree than a soup. If the soup is too thick, add more stock, a little at a time. If the soup is too thin, bring to a simmer and reduce until thickened.

If preparing in advance, transfer the bisque and cooked lobster meat into separate airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freezing the lobster meat is not recommended, but you can freeze the bisque and any leftover lobster stock for up to 6 months.

To assemble the bisque, bring the bisque to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the cream and season with salt to taste. Add half of the chopped lobster meat, setting aside the prettiest pieces for garnish, and simmer just until the soup is warmed through, about 5 minutes.

To prepare the lobster garnish, first reheat the remaining lobster meat: Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the lobster pieces into the water. Simmer until warmed through but do not overcook, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to remove the meat and drain.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining 2 Tbs. butter. When the butter begins to bubble, remove from the heat and add the warm lobster meat. Swirl the pieces in the butter and sprinkle with some of the chives.

Ladle the soup into wide bowls. Portion the buttered lobster pieces into each bowl, drizzling any remaining butter from the pan over the top. Finish with a sprinkle of chives. Serves 4 to 6.

Hot Tip: Starting your lobster stock with fish stock will make for an extra-flavorsome broth. This process is called “fortifying a stock” in the culinary world. Pick up some fresh or frozen fish stock at the fish store; for boxed fish stock, Meredith likes the brand Aneto. Be sure to taste it before using to make sure you like it. And if you can’t find a good fish stock, you can sub with a shrimp stock—or you can also just use water, but if you do, simmer the stock for an additional 2 hours (3 hours total).

Hot Tip: You can easily make this normally dairy-heavy dish dairy-free by swapping the butter for olive oil and skipping the heavy cream.

Adapted from The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook by Meredith Hayden (Ten Speed Press, 2025)