Homemade Lobster Bisque

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You know when you have a restaurant that you love going to, and every time you go you swear to yourself that you will try something new? Every time I go to Café Zupas, I tell myself I’m going to try a different soup. And every time, I stare at the menu and get the Lobster Bisque. Sometimes I’ll get Zupas tomato basil soup, but usually I get the lobster bisque. It’s just so dang good I can’t help it! I decided the best way to be willing to try something different when I go is to learn how to make this at home so I can have it any time I want. So I’ve decided to share this delicious soup recipe for Homemade Lobster Bisque.
I was so happy with how delicious this recipe turned out.  And to top it all off, the cooking process wasn’t too difficult either. I’d never worked with lobster before, but since it was just the tail and not the whole lobster, it was pretty easy. So if you’re looking for a good lobster bisque recipe, you’ve found it!

Homemade Lobster Bisque

Ingredient List

1 lb lobster meat (I used two, you might need 3 if they are small lobster tails)

2 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups lobster water

3-2/3 cups chicken broth

3 sprigs fresh Thyme

1 dried bay leaf

1-1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop in lobster tails and reduce to a simmer. If using frozen tails, make sure to thaw first.

Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the shell turns bright red.

Remove the tails from liquid and let cool for a few minutes. Reserve two cups of lobster stock, set aside.

Cut each tail in half and removed lobster meat and chop, set aside meat and reserve shells.

In large saucepan, melt butter (2 tbsp) and saute with chopped shallot, chopped celery, and minced garlic.

Add tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes.

Next add lobster stock, chicken broth, lobster shells, Thyme, bay leaf, salt, cayenne pepper, and ground pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30-45 mins.

Using a fine strainer, strain the broth and set broth to the side.

In the large sauce pan, brown 4 tbsp butter with flour over medium heat. Whisk often, mixture will brown and have a nutty scent.

Add lobster broth and heavy cream. Whisk and bring to a simmer. Add chopped lobster meat.

Garnish with Thyme sprigs, croutons, or oyster crackers.

This flavorful soup can be a starter or you can use it as the main dish with some rolls. I was pleasantly surprised how well most of my family liked this Cafe Zupas copycat recipe! I know it’s a little more out there for younger children, but can I just tell you that I wish I had gotten a picture of my 2 year old literally licking his bowl! It was awesome! Myself, my husband, and my 14 year old all really loved it. My 9 year old ate it without complaint and told me it was “good”. My 6 year old and 3 year old said that they “don’t love this soup”. 🙂 The best part is it means more for me! Next time, I might add more chunks of lobster and make an extra big soup pot of this great recipe.

Do you have any favorite copycat recipes? We’d love for you to share them in the comments.