🦞 Lobster bisque
Lobster bisque is a smooth, velvety French soup made by simmering lobster shells and meat with tomato, aromatic vegetables and a splash of cognac, then blending, straining and finishing it with cream and butter. It has a deep coral colour and an intense, sweet shellfish flavour. It is served hot in small bowls as a starter, often garnished with pieces of lobster meat.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cooked lobsters (about 600 g each)
- 30 g butter
- 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste and 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 50 ml cognac
- 1 litre water, 1 bay leaf, a few thyme sprigs
- 40 g white rice
- 150 ml single cream
- Salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne
Method
- Remove the meat from the lobsters, dice it and keep in the fridge; crush the shells.
- Melt the butter, fry the shells and vegetables for 8 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste.
- Pour in the cognac and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, water, herbs and rice.
- Simmer for 40 minutes, remove the bay leaf, blend thoroughly and strain through a fine sieve, pressing hard.
- Return to the pan, stir in the cream, season with salt, pepper and cayenne and heat without boiling.
- Serve in warm bowls topped with the lobster meat.
How to make it lighter
- Cream and butter carry most of the fat: halve the cream and the soup stays rich thanks to the shells.
- The rice thickens the bisque, so no extra cream is needed for body.
- Serve it as a small starter cup of about 200 ml rather than a large main bowl.
History
Bisques have been part of French cooking since at least the 17th century, when the word appears in French cookbooks; today the name is used mostly for smooth shellfish soups. The origin of the word is uncertain; one popular theory links it to the Bay of Biscay. Lobster bisque remains a signature starter in French restaurants and on festive menus.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →