How To Maximize The Lobster Flavor When Making Bisque

Lobster bisque can be a pretty pricey soup, even when it's not made with lobster but rather the lobster-adjacent langostino that Red Lobster was caught using back in the 20-teens. Lobster on a restaurant menu may not always mean what you think it means, which means you'll have a better idea of the provenance of your crustaceans and may also save some money if you make the soup yourself. Nor is this difficult to do. According to Curt Brown, a lobsterman who works as a marine biologist at Ready Seafood and a board member of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, "You can make a simple lobster bisque by adding lobster meat to cream, sherry, and lemon." In his opinion, however, this soup tastes even better if it's also made with lobster stock.

Lobster stock or bisque base is something that can be purchased in stores or online. If you're using whole lobsters or lobster tails for your soup, however, it would be a shame to waste the free raw material. "To get maximum flavor," Brown continued, "make a lobster stock using the lobster shells."

Making lobster stock starts (as does making any other type of broth) with pulling your stock bag out of the freezer. If you haven't been keeping vegetable scraps on ice, you may need to rough chop an onion and carrot. There's no need to peel either one, though. The whole thing can go into the stock pot. Smash up your lobster shells, then sauté the bits in butter along with the vegetables. (You can also make stock with crab shells in a similar fashion, although in this case, you'd probably be making crab bisque.)

If you want to get extra fancy with your stock, as Curt Brown does, you can add a little brandy to the browned vegetables and shell bits, then cook it until it evaporates. At this point, deglaze the pan with a little white wine, then add fish stock (or water) to the pot along with seasonings such as bay leaves and peppercorns. Simmer the stock for at least 40 minutes, though a longer cooking time (up to overnight) will deepen the flavor. At this point, your stock is ready to strain and use. Brown likes to add the cream before straining to let it simmer with the shells and vegetables for another half an hour before he makes the bisque.