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Rich and decadent, this easy Lobster Bisque recipe is the perfect way to celebrate any occasion Easy to make and inexpensive, your special someone will think you spent hours in the kitchen when it only really took you less than an hour.
Lobster is fancy pants. It is. If someone serves you lobster, in any form, you tend to gasp a little. Even if it’s just an internal gasp but it’s there. You’re a little impressed.
This Lobster Bisque soup was on the table in just under an hour and I didn’t even break the bank to buy all the ingredients. To save a few bucks, I bought frozen lobster tails which seem to be a bit cheaper than fresh but still taste just as velvety and sweet without the hefty price tag. If you want an even more budget friendly soup recipe, this Shrimp Bisque can’t be beat.
The is truly the BEST Lobster Bisque recipe, it comes together in no time and the flavor can’t be beat. It has a slight kick so if you don’t like spicy food you can leave out the cayenne pepper. It’s the perfect addition to a holiday dinner or any other special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
Homemade Lobster Bisque is not super spicy, it just gives it a little extra depth of flavor. The hit of cream at the end makes the bisque super velvety but doesn’t amp up the calories so it’s easy on the waistline, too. I finish it off with big chunks of lobster in the bisque to make it totally restaurant worthy.
Ingredients For Lobster Bisque
- Lobster – Whole Lobsters, cold-water Lobster Tails or frozen lobster meat works for this recipe. Just be sure it totals 16 ounces of lobster meat.
- Olive Oil – I use an all purpose olive oil and save my extra virgin olive oil for my salad. You can substitute the olive oil with melted butter.
- Onion – A sweet onion, like Vidalia, adds so much flavor to the broth.
- Fennel – With a slight anise flavor, Fennel is my favorite addition to this soup.
- Garlic – Whole cloves of garlic, minced is best.
- Tomato paste – I love the tomato paste for lending sweetness.
- White Wine – I like to use dry white wine like a chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or sauvignon blanc. You can substitute the wine with apple juice.
- Fresh Herbs – Fresh thyme and bay leaf adds fresh, herbaciousness. Fresh Tarragon works amazingly, as well.
- Seasonings – Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, black pepper, and salt.
- Seafood Stock – You can make your own homemade seafood stock or homemade lobster stock with the lobster shells or buy your favorite brand. You can substitute with chicken stock, chicken broth or clam juice.
- Diced tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes make this soup easy.
- Dairy – Heavy cream combined with half and half add rich, smooth flavor. You can also use light cream if that’s what you have on hand.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is just perfect with the lobster.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Lobster Bisque
This classic Lobster Bisque recipe is so simple to make from scratch. It’s quick to make and ready in just under one hour.
- Boil the lobster tails, shell-side down, in a large dutch oven until they are cooked through. Using tongs, transfer the tails to a plate and allow to cool. Reserve the steaming water for the lobster stock.
- When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, minced garlic cloves and tomato paste. Cook until it the mixture becomes a deep burgundy color.
- Add the wine to the pot and deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, chicken stock, reserved lobster water and tomatoes. Return the shells to the pot and allow the mixture to simmer.
- Remove the shells from the broth and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth on high speed. Stir in the cream, half and half and lemon juice.
- Chop the lobster meat into small pieces and divide among your soup bowls.
- Ladle the soup over the lobster meat and serve immediately. Garnish with fennel fronds if desired.
- To add a little extra flavor, you can stir in a splash of sherry or Worcestershire sauce, if desired.
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What is Lobster Bisque?
Lobster Bisque is a smooth, creamy, velvety soup that’s usually made with the shells of lobster to create a stock then thickened up with cream. Traditionally, Lobster Bisque is completely smooth but for this recipe I add chunks of lobster meat to give the recipe a little extra heartiness.
Best Sides for Lobster Bisque
Lobster Bisque goes with so many things, these are a few of my favorites besides a side of rustic bread if serving as a first course.
How to Store Leftovers
This recipe makes about 6-8 servings so you could easily cut the recipe in half and have two hearty dinner servings if you’re planning a romantic dinner for two. Or you can make the recipe as is and freeze the rest in small batches for romantic dinners for one, two, three or whatever in the future.
You can made the base in advance, transfer to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat and then add the lobster right before serving.
For batch freezing soups, stews, stocks and broths, we love using silicone Souper Cubes for mess free meal prep.
More Easy Lobster Recipes
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Best Lobster Bisque Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 4-4 ounce Maine lobster tails, split in half
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 vidalia onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups Chardonnay or other dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1-14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot, steam the lobster tails, shell-side down, in salted water for approximately 5 minutes or until they are cooked through. Using tongs, transfer the tails to a plate and allow to cool. Reserve the steaming water for the stock.
- When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the fennel and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until it the mixture becomes a deep burgundy color.
- Add the wine to the pot and deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, chicken stock, reserved steaming liquid and tomatoes. Return the shells to the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the shells and bay leaf from the broth. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the cream, half and half and lemon juice.
- Chop the lobster meat into bite size pieces and divide among your soup bowls. (I like a lot of lobster meat in mine.) Ladle the soup over the lobster meat and serve immediately. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh wow! My mouth is watering right now! This will make the perfect Christmas Eve dinner for Grumpy and me!
Could I use 2 cups of lobster broth? I have lobsters cooked that I froze. Instead of cooking the tails and using that broth I have lobster base and I’d like to use that.
Thank you
Yes, absolutely! That would work perfectly.
I am going to make this tonight I have a question about the ingredients I see on your picture there is celery but don’t see it on the actual recipe is this optional
The celery is optional and can be chopped/sauteed with the onion, if desired. Thanks so much for asking and please come back to let me know what you thought of the recipe if you can! Happy
Valentine’s Day!
Thank you it was delicious Wish I could let you see a picture but I don’t
Know how Happy Valentines Day
It was absolutely amazing but mine wasn’t quite as thick as I would think bisque would be! Any suggestions?
Hmmm, I’m not sure…maybe add a bit more cream and cook a little longer. Mine was pretty creamy, not thick like a stew or chowder.
Can I sub the white wine for something else?
You could just use the same amount of stock to sub the wine.
What can I sub for the fennel? I’m allergic to it but I love Lobster Bisque!
You could skip it altogether and it will still taste amazing!
Ok i made it. It was a success. I have to re do it again because the roasted tomatoes I bought were salsa style and made spicy and my husband can not eat any spicy not even black pepper. But the flavore was there.
Great! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how it worked out. I appreciate it so much!
I never used fennel before how do I cut it and which part do use for this recipe. Thanks I’m super excited about making this for my Valentine.
Hi Loreanne! It’s pretty simple, so you thinly slice the white part but be sure to discard the tough core (it’s the root end, you’ll know what that is…if not, shoot me another comment). You can use the feathery tops for garnish. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Lobster Day! I decided to write a tribute to my favorite delicacy — LOBSTER — and looked for a great bisque recipe. This one by far tops them all. It is included in my collection today on Ducks n a Row. Hope you can stop by:)
Thanks so much for the feature, Sinea!
I love you for this. Like you, I only order it at restaurants, because I thought it would be difficult and cost-prohibitive to make at home. This is one of my favorite soups of all time!