Lobster Bisque

For as long as I can remember, my family has eaten Stouffer's lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner.  My mom started doing this because she could put it in the oven before we left for church, and when we got home it was ready and we could eat right away.  Well this year, after our "rogue" Thanksgiving, where we made brisket instead of turkey, we decided to shake things up at Christmas as well.  My whole family loves Lobster Bisque, and when we see it on a restaurant menu, we almost always get a bowl to share.  So when we were brainstorming what we wanted to make for that dinner, as soon as I suggested Lobster Bisque, the family was sold!  Since the bisque is so rich, we decided to have salad and lavosh with it, and it made for a meal that felt special for the holidays!

This was my first attempt to make a soup like this, and I have to say it was really quite easy.  My dad helped me to grill the lobster earlier in the afternoon, then we chopped it up and let it soak in the sherry while we were at church.  We also pre-diced all of the vegetables.  When we got home, it only took about 20 minutes for us to have some piping hot bisque on the table....almost as easy as the frozen lasagna!   This soup was really good, the whole family loved it, and it was almost even better the next day when reheated and thinned out with some milk.  The only thing that we will change the next time we make it, is reducing the amount of dry sherry, the sherry was a bit strong for our tastes, so next time I would reduce it in half so it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. 

This isn't an every week kind of soup, mainly because some of the ingredients can be pricey, but it is perfect for a special occasion...so give it a try!

Lobster Bisque

adapted from The Reluctant Gourmet

1 - 2 c. cooked lobster meat (I grilled 2 lobster tails, but Trader Joe's has frozen pre-cooked langostino lobster that would work also
1/2 c. dry sherry (I would either reduce in half, or just not add all back into the soup)

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2  c. onion, diced
1/4 c. celery, diced
1/4 c, carrot, diced
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. whole milk
1 c. half and half
1 c. seafood stock (This is usually in the frozen section, but you can substitute chicken stock if you can't find it)


Combine the lobster meat with the sherry. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a hot pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it stops sputtering, add the onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper and Old Bay. Stir and let cook until the vegetables are translucent and are getting soft.

Add the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring all the time.

While whisking, add the cold milk, half and half and stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Turn the heat down and let simmer until slightly reduced.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.

Taste, and add more salt, pepper or Old Bay, if you think it needs it. Add the reserved lobster and sherry to the pot and simmer for just a couple of minutes, so the lobster is heated through.

Serve with crusty bread and maybe a little sour cream on the top. If you want to be really fancy, sprinkle on a little chopped tarragon as garnish.  Yummy!