Lobster Bisque
A bit of a process, but very worth it!
Lobster Bisque
Serves 4
Lobster Stock
Water, as needed
3 whole live lobsters (about 1 ¼ pounds each)
Olive oil, for drizzling
5 cloves garlic, smashed
3 thai chilis, split
2 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 small yellow onion, sliced
Bisque
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
½ of a large head of fennel, cored and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
⅓ cup brandy
1 ½ quarts of the above lobster stock
Heavy cream, for serving
Make the stock: Set up a steamer with about 2 inches of water in the bottom over high heat. Once the steamer is hot and ready to go, add the lobsters and steam, covered, for 11 minutes. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to cool. Do this in batches (be sure your water doesn’t run out) if all your lobsters don’t fit in the steamer at once. SAVE THE STEAMING LIQUID!
Once the lobster is cool, remove all the meat from the tail, knuckles, and claws, reserving all the shells and the heads. Roughly chop the lobster meat and place in the fridge. There will be cartilage in the claws so be sure to remove and discard that.
Using kitchen shears, cut down all the reserved lobster shells/heads into 2 inch pieces.
Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and heat until hot over medium heat. Add in the lobster shells and toast in the oil, stirring constantly and breaking them down even further with a wooden spoon, until fragrant, toasty and the shells become more brittle, 10-15 minutes. Add in the garlic, chilis, lemongrass, ginger, bay leaves and onion. Sweat until the veggies start to soften, 5 minutes. Add in 2 ½ quarts of the steaming liquid (supplementing with water if needed), and simmer the stock on low heat for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Make the bisque: Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and add in the celery, onion, carrot, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sweat until the veggies are almost tender, 8-10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, and cook, stirring until it deepens in color, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and deglaze with the brandy, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the good bits. Return the pot to low heat and add in 1 ½ quarts of the prepared lobster stock (reserve any remaining for later) and simmer on low heat until the veggies are super soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a high powered blender and blend until super smooth. Be sure to start on a slow speed and vent the blender top slightly so it doesn’t explode all over.
Add the soup back to the pot (straining through a fine mesh sieve if desired. Not necessary but nice for a super smooth soup!) Season with more salt and pepper to taste and adjust thickness with any remaining lobster stock if needed. Add in the lobster meat to reheat and serve topped with a drizzle of heavy cream.