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Bisque de homard
Lobster bisque
Bisque de homard: Breton lobster shell soup with tomato, cognac and cream
FrenchBisque de homard is the luxurious soup of Brittany and Normandy seafood restaurants and French festive dinners, made by roasting lobster shells hard and simmering them with vegetables, tomato and a splash of cognac until the stock tastes intensely of the sea, then finishing it with cream. This home version uses two cooked lobsters, so there is no need to handle live shellfish; the meat goes back in at the end. The cognac is flamed and simmered, which drives off most of the alcohol but not all; leave it out and add 1 tsp lemon juice for an alcohol-free version. The common mistake is not crushing the shells, which leaves the flavour locked inside. Chef's tip: smash the roasted shells with a rolling pin before simmering; the bisque will be twice as rich.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 cooked lobstersabout 600 g each
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 carrotchopped
- 1 celery stickchopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 ½ tbsp cognac or brandy (optional)
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 5 cups water
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ⅜ oz long-grain rice
- ¾ cup double cream
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Twist the claws and tails off the 2 cooked lobsters, crack them and pick out the meat. Cut the meat into small pieces, cover and keep it in the fridge. Keep all the shells and heads.
10 minStep 2: Heat the 1 ⅜ oz butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over a high heat, add the shells and fry for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until they smell toasted. Crush them with the end of a rolling pin.
8 minStep 3: Add the 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick and 2 cloves garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the 2 tbsp tomato purée. If using the 2 ½ tbsp cognac or brandy, add it off the heat, return to the heat and light it carefully, standing back.
5 minStep 4: Add the 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 5 cups water, 2 sprigs fresh tarragon, 1 bay leaf and 1 ⅜ oz long-grain rice and simmer for 35 minutes.
35 minStep 5: Blend briefly to break up the shells a little more, then push everything through a fine sieve, pressing hard; discard the shells. Return the bisque to a clean pan.
10 minStep 6: Stir in the ¾ cup double cream, ½ tsp salt and 1 pinch cayenne pepper and bring back to a simmer. Add the lobster meat and heat for 2 minutes until hot through. Serve at once.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bisque de homard take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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