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Mr. Sam

Mr. Sam's Famous Lobster Bisque

My own recipe. Family favorite I make every year for Christmas. Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origins. While it can be made from most any type of crustacean, I use lobster. 
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 15 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Lbs. Lobster In shell, either as whole lobster or tails.
  • 8 ounces Button Mushrooms Rough Chopped
  • 1 Onion Medium rough chopped
  • 1 Stalk Celery Rough Chopped
  • 1 Carrot Large Rough Chopped
  • 3 Sprigs Thyme
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Tbl Garlic Minced
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 3/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 Tbl Tarragon Leaves
  • 4 8 Ounce Bottles Clam Juice
  • 24 Ounces Fish Stock
  • 1 6 Once Can Tomato Paste
  • 16 Ounces Water
  • 1 Stick Butter
  • 2 Ounces Olive Oil
  • 4 Ounces Dry White Wine
  • 4 Ounces Brandy VSOP
  • 4 Ounces Sherry Dry or Golden
  • 2 Tbl Cloves Ground
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 2 Cups Half & Half
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Parsley Washed & trimmed for Garnish
  • 3 Tsp Better than Bouillon Lobster Base

Method
 

  1. Gather the ingredients all together before starting. This helps make sure nothing is left out and you have it quickly at hand.
    Bisque Ingredients
  2. Fill a large stock pot with enough water to cover the lobster. Bring the water to a boil an then place the lobsters in the boiling water. Allow water to return to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes.
    Boiling Lobster
  3. Remove meat from the tail and claws of the lobster and save. Cut lobster into bite size pieces.
    Prepped Lobster
  4. Cut up the remaining lobster shells into smaller pieces and place in a clean stock pot. In a clean stock pot, add butter, olive oil and lobster shell. Over a high heat, sauté until the shells begin to brown. This should be about 10 minutes.
     
    Add mushrooms, onion, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon, parsley thyme, garlic, tomato
    paste and bay leaves to the pot and sauté until softened and translucent. This should be about another 10
    minutes.
  5. Mix in the sherry, wine and brandy. Bring to boil and allow much of the liquid to reduce, about 5 minutes. Be careful adding the liquor. You might want to remove this from the fire before adding.
     
    Add the clam juice, stock and water. Add in the Better Than Bouillion to the pot and bring to boil and then reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for at least one hour.
  6. Strain soup through a sieve into a large stock pot pressing firmly on the solids to strain all the liquid possible out of them.
     
    Return to heat and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
    Add cream and Half & Half to soup and allow to simmer another 5 minutes.
  7. Add lobster to the soup and allow to simmer an additional 5 minutes until done. Garnish with parsley.
     
    You can add sour cream to the soup as a garnish or add a little sherry before eating also.
     
    Lobster Bisque

Notes

If the bisque is not thick enough, you can add a tablespoon of corn starch dissolved in a tablespoon of water to the soup and bring to a boil for 2 minutes to thicken the bisque.