Lobster Bisque

Instructions

1. 1

   Fill large, heavy-bottomed pot with 8 cups water and place pot on stovetop over high heat. Bring water to rolling boil. When water begins to boil, carefully add 3 small lobster tails to pot and submerge completely. Boil lobster tails 5 minutes or until cooked-through and bright red. When lobster tails are fully cooked, carefully transfer tails to large bowl. Immediately add cool water to bowl, then set lobster tails aside until cool enough to handle.

2. 2

   While lobster tails cool, transfer 2 cups cooking liquid from pot to medium bowl, saving as much loose lobster meat with liquid as possible. Discard any remaining cooking liquid. Once lobster tails are cool enough to handle, carefully crack one lobster tail open and remove meat using method of choice ( below). Place lobster meat on chopping board and repeat with remaining lobster tails. Do not discard lobster shells. Once all meat has been removed from shells, coarsely chop lobster meat into bite-sized pieces.

3. 3

   Transfer chopped meat to small bowl, cover with lid or plastic wrap, and place bowl in refrigerator. Place shells from lobster tails on cutting board. Chop shells into large pieces, then carefully transfer shell pieces to second small bowl. Set aside. Transfer any liquid or juices left on cutting board to large measuring cup and set aside.

4. 4

   Place large, heavy-bottom pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pot is warm, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Continue heating pot, swirling and tilting pot as needed to distribute oil across bottom of pot, until oil is hot and shimmery. When oil is hot, add lobster shell pieces to pot. Sauté shells, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes or until shells have darkened. Be careful not to burn shells. Once shells have darkened, add slices of 1 medium onion, ½ cup sliced celery, ½ cup sliced carrots, 1 head garlic, ¾ cup chopped red tomato, 2 sprigs fresh tarragon, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 large bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns to pot. Stir to incorporate.

5. 5

   Add ½ cup brandy and ½ cup sherry to pot and stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to gentle boil, then allow mixture to boil 5 minutes or until majority of liquid has evaporated. Add 2 cups bottled clam juice, 2 cups cooking liquid (reserved after boiling lobster tails), and reserved lobster juices to pot. Stir to incorporate, then reduce heat under pot to medium.

6. 6

   Allow mixture to come to strong simmer. Simmer mixture 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove pot from heat and replace with large saucepan. Fit large sieve into saucepan, then carefully pour contents of pot into sieve.

7. 7

   Strain soup, firmly pressing on solid ingredients with back of wooden spoon to express as much liquid from ingredients as possible. Once strained, discard leftover solid ingredients. Add ¼ cup tomato paste to saucepan and whisk until tomato paste is fully incorporated.

8. 8

   Simmer soup over medium heat approximately 15 minutes or until soup has reduced to approximately 3 cups. Once soup has reduced, remove saucepan from stovetop and let cool slightly.

9. 9

   Optional: If making lobster bisque in advance, stop here. Transfer soup to airtight container and let cool completely, then refrigerate up to 1 day. 20 minutes prior to serving, reheat soup on stovetop over low heat, then continue with instructions below. Add ½ cup whipping cream (at room temperature) to soup and whisk to incorporate, then return saucepan to stovetop. Simmer mixture 5 minutes.

10. 10

    While mixture simmers, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water to small mixing bowl. Whisk until ingredients are fully combined. Add prepared cornstarch slurry to saucepan and stir to incorporate. Increase heat under saucepan to medium-high and bring mixture to boil, then let mixture boil 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

11. 11

    Once soup has thickened, taste bisque and add ½ teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly, then add chopped lobster meat to soup. Stir to incorporate, then return saucepan to heat.

12. 12

    Simmer mixture, stirring constantly, until lobster meat is just warmed-through. Once lobster meat is warm, ladle prepared bisque into serving bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh chives if desired and serve immediately.