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Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch

Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch
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Do you love creamy lobster bisque?  Is it one of those starters that always draws your attention on a restaurant menu?  It is for me.  I love seafood in any iteration, but in a creamy, silky bisque — oh, my!  With nuggets of lobster meat floating on the surface?  Yes, please.  But why wait for a fancy night out when you can do it at home?  Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch… and for a lot less money…  Seriously.

 

 

Live Maine Lobster

Just for fun, I poked over to a local restaurant, about a mile from my house.  I’d eaten there before when my job required me to entertain clients on a corporate expense account.  I knew they served lobster bisque as an appetizer so I figured I’d check out the price for a serving on their menu.  One cup of lobster bisque was $12 .  That actually didn’t sound too bad until I read the fine print.  If you wanted actual lobster meat in your bisque, that was another $10.  So $22 for one cup of bisque… not including tax and tip — and that’s just the appetizer.

 

Cooked Maine Lobster

We don’t have lobster too often, but when we do I make good use of every ounce — including the shells — in the form of lobster stock.  So as bougie as it may sound, I actually had lobster stock in my freezer.  Not because I’m well-to-do… but rather, because I’m so damn thrifty.

 

lobster meat

As a result, I only needed one lobster for this bisque (about $20) (and yes, I made stock from the shells afterward — tongue sticking out emoji).

 

Adding rice to lobster stock

Most bisques are rich because there’s a cup or two of heavy cream swirled into the soup.  Cream gives you that silky, luxurious mouth feel – and who doesn’t like that, right?  The only problem is we generally don’t need the excess calories.  However, I found an easy trick to thicken the soup, without adding a ton of cream.  Rice.

 

Rice cooked in lobster stock

Rice cooked in the stock until it’s so soft that there’s no bite to it — just mush.

 

Pureeing lobster bisque

When mush is achieved,  puree the stock and rice in the blender until smooth and creamy !

 

Lobster bisque in a bowl

For depth and complexity, add a few tablespoons of dry sherry and a mere quarter cup of cream  to the soup.

 

cutting lobster meat

Lobster morsels are the perfect way to garnish this bisque, but sometimes getting the meat out of the shells can be a pain (literally).  An easier way is with a good set of crackers,  picks and sheers.  I bought mine a while back and they’re invaluable for shellfish!

 

Side view of Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch

Another tip is that you can make this the day before you want to serve it and gently warm it just before serving.

 

That’s it.  Homemade lobster bisque.  Fancy?  You bet!  But not nearly as difficult as you might think and a whole lot less expensive than the restaurants.  This makes 4 generous servings of bisque and you could easily stretch it to six if needed.

 

Two bowls of Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch

 

Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

4.91 from 10 votes
Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch
Print
Lobster Bisque
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr
 

A lighter version of the classic soup!  This velvety bisque is a delicious starter to any special meal!

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4
Calories: 144 kcal
Author: Lisa Lotts
Ingredients
  • 6 cups lobster stock from this site
  • 1 2-pound Maine or Spiny lobster
  • 2 tablespoons long grain rice
  • 1/4 cup cream plus more for garnish
  • 2-3 tablespoons sherry to taste
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
  1. Arrange a steamer basket in a large stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Add 3-4 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Place the live lobster in the pot and cover tightly with a lid. Steam the lobster for 8 minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes per pound thereafter. My lobster was about 2 1/2 pounds and I cooked it for 13 minutes. Remove the lobster from the pot and set aside to cool. When lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the carapace and the claws. Use kitchen scissors to cut through the underside of the tail section to carefully remove the tail meat. (you may need to use an old dish towel to pry it open without getting skewered by the thorny shell.) Crack the claws if you're using a Maine lobster and remove the claw meat. Place the meat in a dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Bring the lobster stock to a simmer and add the rice. Cover and cook the lobster stock and rice for about 30 minutes until rice is mushy.
  3. Pour the stock and rice into a blender and blend until the soup is thick and creamy with no lumps.
  4. Add the cream and sherry.
  5. Slice the lobster tail into rounds and the claws into large chunks. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle additional cream over the top of the soup and arrange lobster chunks on top of the soup. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Lobster Bisque
Amount Per Serving
Calories 144 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 1173mg 49%
Potassium 346mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 8g 16%
Vitamin A 11%
Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 12.5%
Iron 5.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This recipe for Creamy Lobster Bisque From Scratch is a delicious start to a special meal. Lighter than a traditional bisque, too!

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Other// Seafood// Soups, Stews & Braises21 Comments

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Comments

  1. Melissa @ Insider The Kitchen says

    May 13, 2017 at 12:03 AM

    I made this last night. Fantastic! I will make this again and again! I think I will try adding shrimp, scallops and crab meat for a seafood bisque.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 17, 2017 at 8:04 AM

      I think that sounds wonderful, Melissa! Invite me!

      Reply
  2. Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says

    May 18, 2017 at 8:56 AM

    What a dreamy looking soup! I’m totally intimidated by cooking with lobster, but I might have to try it now!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 18, 2017 at 12:16 PM

      I understand the intimidation factor, but it’s really much simpler than you might think.

      Reply
  3. Amy says

    May 18, 2017 at 9:45 AM

    This sounds delicious! I’m salivating just looking at these gorgeous pictures!

    Reply
  4. Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says

    May 18, 2017 at 10:13 AM

    I adore lobster bisque, it;s a real treat and your recipe looks amazing

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 18, 2017 at 12:17 PM

      Thank you, Bintu! I agree, lobster bisque is definitely a worthwhile treat!

      Reply
  5. Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated says

    May 18, 2017 at 12:22 PM

    This looks so thick, creamy and indulgent. Can’t believe it’s so low in calories!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 18, 2017 at 12:42 PM

      Well, most of the cream has been swapped for rice – so there you go!

      Reply
  6. Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says

    May 19, 2017 at 5:22 PM

    Yes I love lobster bisque and I have never attempted to make it at home. It looks like something I could manage to throw together. It looks so creamy and full of flavor, I just want to dive right in!

    Reply
  7. Rebecca says

    May 19, 2017 at 5:33 PM

    ohhhhh this looks amazing! Wish I lived on the coast & had access to fresh out of the water lobster

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 19, 2017 at 6:15 PM

      Oh, no — where do you live??

      Reply
  8. swathi says

    May 19, 2017 at 5:44 PM

    You are right these creamy bisque. I like the you made with fresh ones . I haven’t cooked lobster yet. I need to give it try.

    Reply
  9. Diana Johnson says

    May 19, 2017 at 6:17 PM

    I’ve never tried lobster bisque, but this post tempted me to give it a whirl!

    Reply
  10. Patty @ Spoonabilities says

    May 19, 2017 at 8:12 PM

    How delicious! And you are so clever for using the shells to make stock!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 20, 2017 at 8:32 AM

      Once you find out how easy the stock is, it’s a no-brainer!

      Reply
  11. Pamela says

    May 20, 2017 at 11:31 AM

    Your pic makes my mouth water. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  12. Laura Britten says

    December 5, 2017 at 6:12 PM

    That Pic and recipe looks and sounds devine!!!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      December 5, 2017 at 8:08 PM

      Thanks, Laura – it’s wonderful!

      Reply
  13. Kelly says

    December 26, 2017 at 12:39 PM

    I am not a chef by any means but love to play in the kitchen. Regarding the 6 cups of “lobster stock” can I buy that or is that the water from the pot that has been steaming the lobster?
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      December 26, 2017 at 1:33 PM

      Sometimes a good fishmonger will have lobster stock, but if you’ve got the inclination, you can make your own. Here is my recipe: https://www.garlicandzest.com/homemade-lobster-stock/

      Reply

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Meet Lisa

Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

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