Lobster Bisque

Recipe Date: August 14, 2026
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 60 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Measurements: Imperial (US)
  • Lobster shells from  6-8 bodies, rinsed & cleaned, about 1 ½ to 2#
  • 2 TB Olive Oil
  • 10 cups Beef Consommé (the real thing, not the salty canned crap)
  • 1 pint Heavy Cream
  • ½ cup VSOP Cognac, divided in half
  • 2 TB instant tapioca
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut in 1” chunks
  • 2 large celery stalks, peeled and cut in 1” chunks
  • 2 TB fresh Tarragon, chopped
  • 2 TB fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 white peppercorns

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400.
  2. Take frozen lobster hells in bag and pound them into smaller pieces, and transfer shells to roasting pan.
  3. Drizzle with 2 TB Olive oil, and roast in oven for 20 minutes, stirring shells every 5 minutes until aromatic and pink, but not charred.
  4. Remove from oven to counter, quickly douse with ¼ cup cognac and ignite immediately, stirring the shells until flames subside.
  5. Transfer shells to Stock Pot, then add onion, celery, carrot, Tarragon, Parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and Beef Consommé less 1 cup, and bring to simmer.
  6. Dissolve tomato paste in remaining 1 cup of Beef Consommé and add to pot, and simmer for 3 hours or until reduced by almost half, stirring occasionally.
  7. Add heavy cream, and simmer and reduce for 30-45 minutes,
  8. Strain thru Chinois into clean pot, pressing down hard on the solids to extract every last drop. You should have about 6 cups.
  9. When ready to serve, reheat on stove to barely a simmer, stirring until smooth, and add remaining cognac to taste, less or more.

Tips:

Adjust roasting time/temperature of shells to ensure nothing burns, as any burnt taste will transfer thru to the bisque

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