Easy Lobster Bisque
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 Bisque
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.
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 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.
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.
How To Make Lobster Bisque
This easy Lobster Bisque recipe is so simple to make from scratch. It’s quick to make and ready in just under one hour.
- In a large pot, steam the lobster tails, shell-side down 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, fennel, garlic 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 steaming liquid and tomatoes. Return the shells to the pot and allow the mixture to simmer.
- Remove the shells from the broth and blend 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.
- 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, if desired.
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Ingredients You Will Need
The ingredients for the best Lobster Bisque recipe are easy to find at your local grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Maine lobster tails split in half
- Water
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vidalia onion
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Chardonnay or other dry white wine
- Thyme
- Bay leaf
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Chicken Stock or seafood stock
- Diced tomatoes
- Heavy whipping cream
- half and half
- Lemon juice
Serving Suggestions
Lobster Bisque goes with so many things…..these are a few of our favorites.
- Classic Loaded Wedge Salad…always a hit.
- A little extra, this Bourbon Roasted Pear Salad is AHHHMAZING!
- An amped up Grilled Cheese is the new grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.
- These easy Popovers are fantastic for dipping!
Storage
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 individual portions for romantic dinners for one, two, three or whatever in the future.
You can made the base in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat and then add the lobster right before serving.
More Easy Lobster Recipes
- Lobster Corn Chowder isn’t just for summer.
- This Lobster Pasta Salad is like summer in a bowl.
- Classic Lobster Rolls are always a favorite.
- This easy Lobster Arancini is like little bites of heaven.
- Keep it simple with these easy Lobster Tails....absolutely fool-proof.
- Insanely amazing Lobster Mac and Cheese.
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Get the Recipe: Lobster Bisque Recipe
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
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
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.
62 Comments on “Easy Lobster Bisque”
This recipe was easy and delicious. I made it for my own 40th birthday party (I made all my favorite things and didn’t care if anyone else ate them). I substituted dairy free milk and coconut cream for the dairy products and it worked great.
Happy birthday to you! Thank you for commenting and adding your substitutions. Other readers will love that dairy free options have been tested.
Can this be put in the freezer
Yes, it can be frozen!
I feel it needs more body, I’ll add some instant potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes to thicken in. The flavor was good.
Thank you! It is a lighter bisque so you can use heavy cream and then stir in cold butter at the end to thicken it up while adding richness.
Make it on our coldest day in Florida. Delicious.
So glad you liked it!
This is absolutely amazing! Made it tonight for NYE along with some nice steaks in the cast iron . I was always afraid to make bisque because it seemed so fancy pants but it was super easy and delish! Happy New Year!
Yay! I’m so glad you gave it a try…..and Happy New Year!
Thanks for all your great recipes! Making this for Xmas eve dinner tomorrow night! Wish me luck! Merry Christmas!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Made this today and the flavors are AMAZING! THe only thing I would change is using slightly less reserve water and stock in order to make it creamy. I’m currently reducing until I get a thicker texture but overall I’m very pleased with this recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip! I’m so glad you liked it!
Same. Mine wasn’t as thick as I’d like either, but still yummy.
Hi Kim! This is a lighter take on Lobster Bisque. If you want it to be a bit thicker, richer….substitute the dairy with heavy cream and it will thicken up perfectly.
Hi Kellie,
Made this tonight for dinner and it was pretty tasty! Just a note that I used the recipe via the mobile Pinterest app and it didn’t direct me to the updated version (I only saw this version via the computer after the fact!)…the recipe I was using did not say to remove the bay leaf but thankfully I did anyways. Might be possible that mobile version of Pinterest is still using old link? Or maybe it was an old pin that I only recently saw. Anyways, it was still pretty good, but I was bummed to only see the simmer time after I made it – the wine didn’t cook all the way off! I didn’t mind though ha!
Oh wow! That’s good to know about Pinterest. Sometimes other people pin it and override the directions so it’s always best to go directly to any blog where the recipe originated for the actual instructions.
Reduced cayenne in half and still plenty spicy but we enjoyed it very much.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I think this would’ve been a good recipe if the directions mentioned to remove the bay leaf before blending. Mine came out terrible. I wasted a lot of money to make this and I’m a very good cook. I would use a different recipe.
I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe but I did look at it again and the mention to remove the bay leaf is included.
How can I make this same recipe using an Instant pot?
I’ve never tested it in an Instant Pot so I can’t guarantee it will work. Although, in theory, it should be just fine.
WOW. I need this in my life. Quick question. Is there any way to reduce the carbs? I am not sure why the carbs are high on this recipe. I would greatly appreciate it. My son has stage four brain cancer and I am trying to reduce sugar and carb intake. Thanks so much.
Hi Teresa! I’m thinking that the majority of the carbs are from the wine. So, you could omit that and it will still be wonderful. I played with the recipe calculation and that looks like where it’s coming from. Keeping your family in my thoughts and I hope you all enjoy the bisque.
Love everything about this recipe.
Love that you added chunks of lobster meat to this bisque. Gives it a more hearty feeling and oh, so delicious!
Such an elegant recipe and perfect for the holidays when entertaining guests!
It really is! I hope you try it!!
My family loves seafood and clam chowder is a favorite. But ive been searching for something different. I love lobster and this will be such a fun delicious change from our usual choice! Cant wait to make this!
It will be a nice change! It’s so easy, too!