Tag: Lobster

Lobster Bisque

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A holiday favorite and traditional classic. Lobster bisque needs no introduction.

Lobster Bisque

Savory, sweet, buttery and delicious classic Lobster Bisque
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups

Equipment

  • Stock pot with steamer insert
  • Dutch oven or stock pot, 6 -7 quart size
  • Immersion blender or regular blender

Ingredients
  

  • 30 oz Lobster tails Frozen are fine if fresh is not available
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 tbsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Dry Sherry
  • 2 cups Dry White Wine A buttery chardonnay works well here.
  • 4 cups Chicken Stock
  • 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 1/2 cup Fennel Bulb, Roughly Chopped Use the white part only
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped
  • 1 cup Shallots, chopped
  • 1 cup Diced Tomatoes, Canned Can use fresh, but peel and seed
  • 1/4 cup Brandy
  • 3 tbsp Raw White Rice
  • 2 tbsp Tomatoe Paste
  • 1 tsp Hungarian Paprika Do not use smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne
  • 2 each Bay Leaf
  • 2 tsp Thyme leaves, fresh Remove from stalks
  • 2 tsp Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed
  • 1 oz Maderia

Instructions
 

  • Thaw lobster tails completely if frozen.
  • Using a sharp knife or poultry shears, cut through the top side of the lobster tail, splitting from end that is closest to the body all the way to the tail.
  • Pry the shell apart to allow access to devein the tail. Look for the vein along the edge of the shell, it will be a dark gray vein between the shell and the meat. Remove the vein.
  • Bring 4 cups of water with 1 Tablespoon of salt to a brisk boil in a large stock pot.
  • Add the deveined lobster tails to a steamer basket, shell side down (shell protects the meat from intense heat of the steam) and place over the boiling water in the stock pot. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and steam the lobster for 5-7 minutes. Reserve the steaming water for the stock.
  • Immediately remove the tails when the lobster turns bright red and the tails are opaque. Do not over cook at this stage.
  • When cool enough to handle, remove the tail meat from the shells with a fork. Try to get it all in one piece if possible. Chill the lobster meat until ready to use.
  • In a large stock pot or dutch oven (6 – 7 quart size) saute lobster shell in olive oil over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes to release flavors.
  • Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • Add 2 cups white wine, chicken stock, and reserved salted water from steaming the lobster tails. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until reduced to about 6 cups of stock. This takes approximately 45 minutes.
  • While the stock is cooking, chop the vegetables and measure out the remaining ingredients.
  • When stock is reduced, strain shells from the stock. If the stock is less than 6 cups add a bit of water to bring to 6 cups of lobster stock. Reserve stock an proceed to next steps.
  • In a large stock pot or dutch oven,saute the fenne, celeryl and shallot in 1/4 cup unsalted butter, until soft and starting to brown.
  • Add in the reserved stock, diced tomatoe, brandy, raw white rice, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, bay leaf and thyme; simmer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
  • Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the final liquid. If using a regular blender, use care in handling hot liquid and do it in small batches as steam from the hot liquid can cause pressure to build inside the blender. Return all liquid to the pot.
  • Stir in the heavy cream, fresh lemon juice and Maderia to finish off the bisque.
  • When you are ready to serve the bisque, slice the lobster meat into serving size pieces and saute in a tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium-high heat, just until warmed through to prevent overcooking meat.
  • Spoon bisque into bowls and top with the warmed, buttery lobster meat. Enjoy!

Notes

Cook with a wine you would drink.  Don’t skimp on the wine, it should not be too acid, or too sweet in this dish. 
Recipe can be made up to step 12 a day in advance to save time on the day you wish to serve. 
 
 
Keyword bisque, Lobster, soup

Langostino Lobster Rolls with Spring Peas

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These “lobster” rolls are made with Langostino tail meat. Langostino is not really a lobster, and costs significantly less. Its flavor and texture are very similar, and restaurants sometimes substitute Langostino to offer lobster-like dishes at a lower price. Some species of langostino look somewhat like a flattened lobster, while others resemble a prawn. What we call Langostino in the US is the meat of the squat lobster, which is neither a true lobster nor a prawn, but more closely related to porcelain and hermit crabs.

I love lobster rolls, having first enjoyed them on the East Coast when visiting family. Sweet lobster in a light lemony dressing on a soft roll with a side of slaw is about as New England as it gets. The recipe here uses langostino for cost savings, but can be made with regular lobster if that is your preference. If I want to splurge, I’ll make this with real, fresh lobster.

For a twist I added spring peas. They are purely optional and may offend a lobster roll purist, so leave them out if they are not your thing. I like their fresh sweet taste, and happened to have an abundance of them on hand. They bring additional texture and flavor, but if they are not available or desired, the recipe is delicious without them.

Ingredients

3  Cups cooked Langostino or Lobster meat
1/2 Cup Spring Peas, shelled (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives, minced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Italian Parsley, minced
1 Teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
6 Sausage Rolls, Hot Dog Buns or other soft sandwich rolls, Split
2 - 4 Tablespoons of butter

Instructions

  1. Combine langostinos or lobster, peas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, parsley, Old Bay, and cayenne if desired, in a mixing bowl.
  2. Taste the salad and adjust seasonings; adding salt and pepper if desired.
  3. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate salad; it will store well for several hours if needed before moving on to next step.
  4. Butter preferred rolls and toast, butter side down, on a preheated grill or in a skillet on the stove top, working in batches. Alternately, you could place in a toaster oven and toast with butter side up on a bagel setting. Toast until inside of bun is a golden brown.
  5. Fill each bun with about 1/2 cup of the langostino or lobster salad.
  6. Serve immediately.

Notes

These sandwiches can be used as either a main course or an appetizer. Slicing the filled rolls into three pieces will make a nice appetizer sized serving.

I initially frowned on the use of hot dog buns when experimenting with this recipe, but they have the right balance of flavor and texture so they don’t overpower the delicate texture and flavor of the filling.

Use the freshest ingredients possible, this sandwich has well balanced flavors and fresh juice and herbs are the key.