Lobster Bisque | Easy Creamy Seafood Bisque Recipe

I'm re-sharing this from January 2012.  I haven't made it in a couple of years and it is going to make an appearance on our table soon... maybe this weekend?  I forgot about the homemade seafood stock component... I'm going to try going another route.  I'll let you know!  If you don't have any lobster lying around,  I've also made this with some potatoes and shrimp - very tasty!  While indulgent tasting, it really isn't all that bad for you... just a little cream.  And butter.

...



In New England almost every restaurant has a Lobster Bisque on the menu.  Some are great - luscious, creamy soups filled with large chunks of claw meat.  Others are thin, flavorless and without any actual lobster meat.  After a few disappointing restaurant experiences with Lobster Bisque I started asking servers to describe their bisque - is there actually lobster meat in it?  creamy?  but not thick and goopy... right?


I made this for lunch after a seafood feast from the night before, making use of our shells to make the stock.  Seafood stock is really very easy to make.  You are basically just boiling the shells!

Lobster Bisque
smooth, creamy seafood soup



New! Printable Recipes, here.

6 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 teaspoons of old bay seasoning
2 cups of Seafood Stock (homemade, see below)
6 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
sea salt and pepper
1 pound of lobster, crab or shrimp (or combination), torn or cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup of heavy cream
chives

In a saucepan, melt butter on medium heat.  Whisk in flour and old bay, continue stirring for 1 minute.  Add seafood stock and continue to whisk over medium heat until smooth.  Add milk and tomato paste.  Cook on medium for 10 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken, stirring periodically to make sure the soup doesn't burn!  Lower the heat.  Continue to cook until the desired thickness is achieved.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Add lobster, crab or shrimp and heavy cream.  Garnish with a dash of old bay, chives, and a drizzle of heavy cream.



Homemade Seafood Stock
making use of shells

water
seafood shells (lobster, crab or shrimp)
black peppercorns
sea salt
onion, quartered
garlic head, cut in half

In a large pot of water, boil seafood shells, peppercorns, sea salt, onion and garlic for 30 minutes until it has reduced.  Reserve liquid from other debris (shells, garlic, peppercorns, etc.).

Mini Lobster Rolls for the Superbowl... or Valentine's Day | Free Shipping!

This is going to be a melancholy post for some.  You see, we were invited to our friends' house for a superbowl party last night. These particular friends were our friends from college that used to live in Maine while we were living in Massachusetts.  

Having recently flipped through Barefoot Contessa's Parties book, I decided that I would make Lobster Rolls for the party because I knew our friends (having lived in Maine) would get a kick out of it.  In 100% honesty (and very dense moment... oops), I didn't even think about it being a "New England" treat in honor of the Patriots until Mike's mom Joy pointed it out - a better idea than I had realized : )

Emma had had a cold over the weekend, but we thought she'd moved past it.  Then yesterday at 3pm, she woke up from her nap with a yucky cough so at the last minute we decided we would have to stay home instead of spread the germs.   So, the lobster rolls had already been made (and had their picture taken!), but there was no turning back.  So, I am sorry to rub them in the faces of our friends who missed out!  Don't worry, Jenny & Dave, I have a couple of leftovers I will drop by today : )

I made mini rolls to help stretch the pricey lobster meat to have almost enough for everyone to have one.  I used 2 pounds of lobster tails (shell on) and it made about 18 rolls.  I used split top buns (a New England specialty, but found here, too) and cut them in half.

I love making little splurges like this for parties - it really isn't as expensive as you might think.  I spent $40 on lobster (from Costco), then the only other ingredient I needed were buns.  So, a total of $45 for a completely indulgent and special treat.  I would've spent about the same at the store if I had gotten all of the ingredients to make homemade guacamole and pico. 

While they were a great idea for superbowl (apparently, better than I knew), they are also a perfect treat for Valentine's Day.

mini
Lobster Rolls 

Because our friends are purists when it comes to lobster rolls (as most people from New England are), I stuck with the most traditional and simplest recipe.  You could add celery, or even garnish with slices of avocado if you are feeling crazy : )



2 pounds of Lobster Tails
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of Old Bay
....
split top buns, cut in half
2 tablespoons of butter
....
2 tablespoons of mayo
parsley stems, for garnish

To cook the tails, boil a large pot of water with a lemon cut in half and old bay.  Cook tails in boiling water for 5-8 minutes until bright red and curled up.

Remove from water and let cool.

Heat broiler in oven to 350 degrees.  Brush buns, inside and out with butter.  Toast in oven for 3-4 minutes until golden.

Remove lobster from shells and chop into small bite-size pieces.  Toss with mayo.  Fill rolls with lobster and garnish with small snips of parsley stems.

Also, this is the last week for Valentine's ordering from the store.... so, I'm offering Free Shipping on orders over $50 for a very limited time.  There are also lots of markdowns on Valentines goodies, as well.  There are only about 10 or 15 of of my favorite items (Pink Bakery Boxes and Heart Cookie Cutters) left, so jump on it if you have plans of ordering!  Shop the Valentine's Day sale >

Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe | The Best Lobster Mac & Cheese at Home`

Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe

Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe

I always thought that Lobster Mac & Cheese was just too indulgent to make at home.  It seems like something so frivolous, financially indulgent and, well, a waste.  In Boston (our new temporary home - more about that later!), Lobster Mac & Cheese is everywhere - on every menu.  I see it on menus more often than I do 'Chowdah.'  Most menus have it listed for $25.  Yikes.  I calculated that I would be able to make enough for 2 large servings for less $25.  It still blows my $10 dinner budget, but it is a great splurge for a Saturday night dinner.

After some research on "The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese" recipes, I decided to use The Barefoot Contessa's recipe as a starting point.  I used white cheddar, gruyere and added some colby jack to balance the flavor of the stronger cheeses.

I bought a live lobster and steamed it at home, but that is not necessary.  Actually, I really didn't like cooking the live lobster - I know, I know we all need to be conscious of where our food comes from, and be conscious that eating meat is actually eating a once live animal... but, I think I'll just buy it pre-steamed next time.