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Lobster Bisque isn’t your average seafood soup—it’s pure luxury in a bowl. With its delicate sweetness, light brininess, and irresistibly velvety texture, this dish turns humble lobster tails into an elegant feast. Infused with garlic butter and a quick homemade stock, every bite is a symphony of bold, indulgent flavors. Ready in under an hour, this bisque strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and decadence.
Why This Lobster Bisque Is a Must-Try
Traditionally, Lobster Bisque involves a labor-intensive process using whole lobster shells for stock, but we’ve redefined the method without compromising flavor! Our recipe makes things easier by using a quick homemade stock, fresh aromatics, and perfectly balanced spices to deliver that signature richness without the hassle.
What sets this bisque apart? It’s the bold, intense flavors packed into every silky spoonful. Using lobster tails guarantees generous, tender chunks of meat, while the garlic butter infusion adds an extra layer of indulgence. Ready in under an hour, this dish is the epitome of elegance made effortless.
Velvety Lobster Bisque: Key Ingredients
The secret to this Lobster Bisque is in the ingredients. Sweet, tender lobster tails bring the luxury, while garlic butter and fresh cream create that silky richness. A touch of aromatic spices ties it all together for a bisque that’s bold, flavorful, and unforgettable!
- Lobster Tails: I always go for fresh, high-quality lobster tails to ensure the best flavor. Opt for cold-water lobster tails, known for their sweet and tender meat. This is the backbone of your bisque as well as this Broiled Lobster Tails, offering rich, succulent bites in every spoonful.
- Garlic Butter: Making your own garlic butter with fresh garlic and high-quality, unsalted butter can elevate the flavor significantly. Fresh garlic provides a robust aroma, while the butter adds a creamy richness that infuses the lobster meat.
- Lobster Stock: The secret to a truly flavorful bisque is in the stock. Making your own lobster stock from the shells is key. I simmer the shells with aromatics like onions, carrots, and celery to extract every bit of flavor. This homemade stock provides a robust and authentic lobster taste that store-bought stocks simply can’t match.
Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
When it comes to Lobster Bisque, adaptability is everything. Don’t have lobster tails? No problem—simple substitutions and creative tweaks can still deliver the creamy, rich flavor you love. This recipe is designed to work beautifully with what you have on hand!
- Spices: If you want to add a bit more depth, try adding a pinch of smoked paprika or a dash of Old Bay seasoning. These spices can elevate the bisque without altering its creamy texture.
- Lemon Zest: Add a pinch of lemon zest to brighten up the bisque. This subtle addition will enhance the overall aroma and flavor.
- Lobster Meat: Fresh lobster meat undeniably delivers the richest and most authentic flavor, but frozen or canned lobster meat can be used as a convenient alternative. Keep in mind, though, that these substitutes may not achieve the same depth of taste you’d expect from dishes like Grilled Lobster Tails.
- Clams or Shrimp: Both options are fantastic substitutions for this recipe. They bring their unique flavors to the bisque while maintaining its luxurious, seafood essence.
Perfect Lobster Bisque: Step-by-Step Guide
Preparing Lobster Bisque may seem daunting, but with these simple and clear steps, you’ll have a rich, flavorful dish ready in no time. Just follow along, and you’ll see how easy it can be to create this restaurant-quality bisque at home!
- Boil Water: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil with a dash of sea salt.
- Cook Lobster Tails: Add those luscious lobster tails, cover, and boil until they turn a vibrant red.
- Remove Meat: Once the tails are cool enough, gently extract the meat and any juices.
- Simmer Shells: Return the shells to the pot, bring to a boil, then simmer to extract every bit of flavor. Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate.
- Chop Meat: While the stock is simmering, chop the lobster meat into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat butter and oil. Sweat onions, carrots, celery, and herbs until soft. Season with bouillon, salt, and pepper. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Tomato Paste Magic: Stir in the tomato paste and cook briefly to coat the veggies. Sprinkle flour and cook, stirring now and then.
- Reduce Wine: Pour in wine, simmer, and let it reduce by half. Add the lobster stock and simmer until everything thickens and the flavors meld.
*Pro Tip: Sauté the tomato paste briefly to caramelize it and bring out its natural sugars, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
- Blend Bisque: Take it off the heat and blend until smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the heavy cream.
- Melt Butter: In a pan, melt butter and sauté garlic until aromatic.
- Cook Lobster Meat: Add chopped lobster meat, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Lightly sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
- Mix and Serve: Stir in ¾ of the lobster meat into the bisque. Serve in bowls, topping each with the remaining lobster meat and a sprinkle of extra tarragon.
For a complete dinner, I’d recommend you pair my Lobster Bisque with some of my favorite sides and dishes to enhance your dining experience and make your meal truly memorable.
Consider starting with my Garlic Bread—it’s perfect for dipping into the bisque and soaking up every drop of that rich, creamy flavor. For a refreshing contrast, I like to serve it with a Salmon And Avocado Caesar Salad; its crisp greens and tangy dressing complement the bisque beautifully. If I’m in the mood for a bit more indulgence, I go for my Creamy Mashed Potatoes as a hearty side. To round off the meal, don’t forget to check out my decadent Fudgy Chocolate Brownie for a sweet finish.
Recipe FAQ’s
Refrigerate the soup in airtight containers for up to 2 days only! You don’t want to keep your lobster bisque refrigerated very long, as with most seafood. Reheat on low-medium heat.
We don’t recommend freezing lobster bisque.
Yes, you can prepare the lobster bisque a day in advance. Store it in the fridge and reheat it gently over low-medium heat before serving making sure it would not boil.
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Lobster Bisque Recipe
Ingredients
BISQUE
- 4 lobster tails
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon chopped, plus more to serve
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or plain flour
- 1 1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
- 4 cups lobster stock or seafood or fish stock
- 3/4 – 1 cup heavy cream
GARLIC BUTTER LOBSTER MEAT
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne to taste
Instructions
LOBSTER STOCK
- Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water. Stir in 1 teaspoon sea salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the lobster tails, cover with lid and let boil for 5 minutes, or until bright red.
- Remove lobster tails, reserving the liquid stock. When the lobsters have cooled slightly, remove the meat from the shells, reserving the meat and any liquid that comes out of the shells.
- Return lobster shells back to the water in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for a further 15 minutes to draw as much flavour out of the shells as possible.
- While stock is simmering, chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate.
BISQUE
- Heat butter and oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat, Sweat the onions, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with the bouillon powder, salt and pepper/s. Stir in 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Mix in tomato paste, cook for a further minute to coat vegetables. Sprinkle over flour and cook, while stirring occasionally for a further 2 minutes.
- Pour in wine, simmer and let reduce to half. Stir in lobster stock, reduce heat and gently simmer while stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened slightly and flavours have blended, about 30 minutes.
- Take off the heat, transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, purée with an immersion blender until very smooth. Return to medium-low heat and stir in heavy cream.
GARLIC BUTTER LOBSTER MEAT
- Melt butter a skillet pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in chopped lobster meat, season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Lightly sauté for 1 minute while stirring occasionally, until lobster meat is just warmed through.
TO SERVE LOBSTER BISQUE
- Mix 3/4 of the lobster meat into the bisque. Pour into individual serving bowls. Top each bowl with remaining lobster meat and extra tarragon.
Notes
TO REMOVE LOBSTER MEAT:
- Place lobster tail on your counter with the back of the tail facing up. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut down through the centre to the end of the tail. With your thumbs and fingers, open the shell to loosen it from the meat, opening the meat away from the shell side walls. Pull the meat up from the bottom of the shell to seperate the shell from the meat underneath it.
- Alternatively, use both hands to press down on tail to crack shell. Hold tail, shell facing down, and pull back on both sides of shell to crack open and remove meat.
TO BLEND:
Puree right in the pot with an immersion blender OR pour into a blender. If using a blender, you may need to blend in batches of two or three to prevent pressure from building up inside the jug from the heat. Make sure you take the centre piece out of the lid to let the steam escape.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my first time attempting lobster bisque, I search for the best recipe and I happened upon your sight. I followed your recipe to the T and the result was the best we have ever had. I write to thank you for the directions. They are so well organized, easy to follow, detailed and clearly written. My family applauded and I .did take a small bow and, shared that I credit my success to Cafe Delites! Again, thanks. I’m sharing your recipe with anyone, who like me is nervous about attempting Lobster Bisque.
My husband loves Lobster Bisque, and orders it whenever it’s on any restaurant menu. I’ve made your bisque recipe several times since last fall, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s THE BEST lobster bisque, and our whole family LOVES it. Thank you so much for sharing this stellar recipe, that is now part of our special occasions. It’s earned a spot pinned to my “Favorites” board. 🙂
Extremely delicious and also a very forgiving recipe. I had to sub water and fish sauce for the stock as I had discarded the tails the night before and also didn’t have as much lobster as the recipe called for but oh my goodness, it was absolutely delicious! My husband and I both loved it. Thank you for the great recipe!
Made this last night. Hands down the best I’ve had and it will be a regular rotation. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Making, not needing
This is the most delicious bisque I’ve ever had.
So easy to make.
Easy to make and delicious. I made a few tactical adjustments if anyone’s interested; I think they make the recipe both easier and less expensive without sacrificing the end result…
First I doubled the recipe, so keep my proportions in mind…
1. Instead of lobster meat, tails or otherwise, I used a 2 lb. bag of frozen thawed langostino tails from Wegmans ($33.)
2. Instead of chicken bouillon I used a couple of heaping tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon lobster base ($5/jar.)
3. Instead of lobster stock (since I wasn’t using lobsters in the shells) I used 2 X 32 oz. of chicken broth ($2/container.)
Made this for New Year’s Day with friends and family, was VERY good!
I made this on Christmas Eve. My hubby and I thought it was the best lobster bisque we have ever had. Thank you for this recipe!
I am not normally one to write reviews but this is worthy of 5 stars.
We boiled the lobsters the day before and then I found your recipe.
I did not have celery so used celery salt, used dried tarragon and cut back on the cream a bit. Loved the cayenne- just added what I thought was enough for my families level of heat tolerance.
The lobster tossed in the garlic butter was the “icing on the cake”.
Made this for Christmas Eve. Delicious!!!