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Creamy Lobster Bisque

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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4–5 lobster shells
  • meat from 2 lobster tails
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, with leafy ends, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 1/4 cup sherry
  • 2 cups lobster juice
  • 4 cups fish or lobster stock
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 8–10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp, plus 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large stock pot, pour two and a half cups of water and the lobsters, cover and steam for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool before taking the lobsters out and removing the meat from the tail and claws.
  2. Set the broth that the lobsters cooked in aside (some moisture is lost in steaming, so you’ll end up with about 2 cups of liquid)
  3. Place the stock pot back on the stove, add the butter and the lobster shells and cook on medium high heat until the lobsters begin to brown slightly. You will notice that the fishy smell begins to disappear
  4. Add the diced onion, garlic, celery and carrots and sauté for two to three minutes or until the vegetables sweat and start to soften
  5. Add the sherry and allow to cook for another two minutes
  6. Add the bay leaves, peppercorn and cooking liquid from steaming the lobsters, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer
  7. Add the fish stock and fresh thyme, cover and simmer for one hour
  8. Strain the liquid through a sieve (I place a paper towel inside my sieve to catch any dirt or residue from the lobsters) and place back in the stock pot
  9. Add the tomato paste and whisk
  10. In a small mixing bowl, whisk a couple tablespoons of the heavy cream in with the cornstarch
  11. Add the heavy cream, cornstarch slurry and the tbsp of tarragon to the pot and whisk while you simmer, you will notice it thicken as soon as it starts to bubble
  12. Remove the tarragon, spoon the soup into bowls and top with chopped tarragon and lobster meat

Find it online: https://dinnerreinvented.com/recipes/creamy-lobster-bisque/