Lobster Bisque

Ingredients

• 2 whole cooked lobsters (1.5 lb each), meat removed and shells reserved
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups seafood or chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

Before you cook

• Remove the lobster meat from the shells and chop it into bite-sized pieces.
• Break the reserved shells into smaller pieces with kitchen shears.
• Chop the onion, carrot, and celery.

Steps

1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the broken lobster shells and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the sherry and white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the pot.
6. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
7. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaves and thyme.
8. Stir in the rice.
9. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
10. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.
11. Strain the soup through a colander into a large bowl, pressing on the solids and reserving the softened vegetables and rice.
12. Blend the strained liquid with the reserved vegetables and rice in batches until smooth.
13. Strain the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve back into the pot, discarding any remaining solids.
14. Stir in the heavy cream and warm the bisque over low heat.
15. Season the bisque with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
16. Reserve a few pieces of lobster meat for garnish and stir the rest into the bisque to warm through.
17. Ladle the bisque into bowls.
18. Top each bowl with the reserved lobster meat and a sprinkle of chives.