Published: August 26, 2010
Luscious Lobster Bisque - A Light & Delightful Summer Soup Recipe
By Rocco 'Boss Hog' Loosbrock
The warmer weather of the summer months means plenty of opportunities to have friends and family come together to eat outside in nature, where everything just naturally seems to taste a little bit better and meals are always a lot more fun!
So you have yourself a couple of whole lobsters and you just aren't exactly sure what you should do with them. Well then today is your lucky day and you are precisely where you were meant to be in order to discover this amazingly awesome recipe for what can only be described as a lightly delightful, sophisticated yet subtle summer delicacy, our very own Gourmet Lobster Bisque!
It's far more scrumptious than conventional clam chowder, yet you can still enjoy it with many of the same familiar and flavorful favorite side dishes. This creamy lobster bisque combines the very best of the natural, hearty mouthwatering taste treasures of the seven seas with the finest culinary seasonings found on Earth.
Best described as a succulent pairing of sea food and spices, this is a dish that will be an awe inspiring hit at any dinner party or outside excuse to eat! Ahoy and Enjoy!
Luscious Lobster Bisque - A Light & Delightful Summer Soup (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 Whole Lobsters
1 pitcher of fresh drinking water
2 bottles of premium quality Chardonnay
2 leeks cut in length-wise in half
2 onions cut in half
2 celery stalks chopped into medium sized chunks
2 carrots cut into medium sized chunks
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup cognac
5 tbsp. Gourmet Olive Oil
5 tbsp. fresh unsalted butter
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. finely grated orange zest for garnish
2 tbsp finely chopped chives for garnish
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 strips orange zest
1 tsp. whole peppercorns
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
If your lobsters are "live lobsters," the simplest, quickest and most human way to kill them without them or you suffering is by plunging a sharp knife directly behind their heads. Cut the lobster in half lengthwise, ensuring that you collect all of the juices that will run out. Now remove the claws and tail pieces and set them aside. Remove the head sac and liver and discard them. Cut the body into medium sized pieces.
Heat up 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat and melt 3 tbsp. of butter in it. Carefully add the chopped lobster bodies, heads and juices, along with the leeks, 1 of the onions, the celery, the carrots, half of the thyme, half of the orange zest and the tomato paste into the large pot with the melted butter / olive oil mix. Cook approximately 13 minutes, till the lobster shells are red and the vegetables are soft.
Now remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour in 1/4 cup of cognac.
Ignite the cognac with a long kitchen match and let the alcohol completely burn off until the flame is extinguished.
Put the pot back onto the heat and begin to sprinkle in the flour and stir it in until it is consistently, well mixed, and then allow to cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in as much water as is needed to fully cover and stir up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Carefully pour in the cream and then bring to a boil.
Once boiling, immediately decrease the heat and gently simmer for about 40 minutes, till the soup is reduced and thickened to your preferred thickness.
Once cooked to sufficient thickness, strain the soup into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper to taste and keep the pot warm, but not cooking
Now heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Go ahead and heat the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 2 tbsp. of butter in an oven-proof skillet over a medium heat.
Place the remaining onion, thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest along with the peppercorns into the skillet allow the mixture cook for about 5 minutes.
Add in the lobster claws and tails and begin to carefully flip / toss the portions up into the air and back into the skillet in order to properly coat them with the fat and flavors.
Now remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour in the remaining ¼ cup of cognac.
Like before, ignite the cognac with a long kitchen match and let the alcohol burn off till extinguished.
Put the skillet into the oven and roast them for about 15 minutes, till the lobster pieces are cooked through and then remove the lobster pieces and set them aside on a plate or tray.
When the lobster portions are cool enough to handle, remove the lobster meat from the claws and tails, chop it up in medium sized chunks and add it to the strained bisque.
Serve with bread or crackers and some lightly chilled Chardonnay. Enjoy!
Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco "Boss Hog" Loosbrock
(NewsBlaze readers use coupon code Blaze to get 10% off your next bacon order)
Rocco owns and runs a Bacon of the Month Club called The Bacon Freak Bacon is Meat Candy Club as well as a Wine Club called the Coastal Vineyard Wine Club
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