In the Kitchen: Rock lobster (bisque!)

September is one of my favorite times of the year. The summer weather is still here but the hustle and bustle of August has vanished into thin air. This gives me the opportunity to enjoy some of the summer luxuries I’ve been missing out on while in the kitchen.

I love lobster. Eating a whole steamed lobster is one of my favorite summer pastimes. Enjoying the outdoors while cracking open a claw, the sweet taste of lobster meat drenched in drawn butter, the traditional bib you are entitled to wear — all of these things make up the holy experience you have while eating this large sea crustacean.

For those of you that aren’t into getting elbow deep in lobster meat, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy this delicious creature. The classic lobster salad is always a go-to when I need to get my quick fix of tasty lobster. Served up on a toasted buttered New-England bun, topped with crunchy lettuce— my mouth is watering as I type this.

Then of course there’s the lobster bisque. Just a warning for the lobster fans ready to go all-in on this tasty bisque for dinner tonight: this is a two-step process. The first key step is making your own stock. This, of course, calls for enjoying a little lobster beforehand, which is not a problem for me. Saving up those lobster shells along with a tail or two can turn this soup into something like no other, but if you haven’t got the time to be fooling around with live crustaceans in your kitchen, a little lobster base will work just fine.

My “secret” is using white rice to create the velvety texture that is expected when eating a lobster bisque. This gives you the option to not add cream (which in most cases, I don’t). Adding rice isn’t so much of a “secret” as it is a traditional French way of making a bisque, though it’s relatively unknown. I searched and read many lobster bisque recipes; all of them had endless lists of ingredients but no rice. That is, until I pulled out the old classic cookbooks.

This recipe is a simple rendition of one of my all-time favorites. It entails a multi-step process but it’s worth the wait! The end result is “to die for.”

Lobster Bisque with Stock Recipe

Serves six.

Ingredients: 

To prepare the stock:

1. In a roasting pan, spread out the shells along with the celery and onion. Add the butter. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally, the shells should become dry but not burned. Remove from the oven.
2. Add all of the ingredients from the roasting pan to a stock pot. Cover with water. Add the tomato paste, paprika and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour.
3. After one hour remove from the heat. Strain through a sieve being sure to reserve the liquid. Set aside or store in the refrigerator after it has cooled.

For the bisque:

1. In a large soup pot melt the butter on medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook until the onions begin to sweat but not brown, adjust heat if necessary. Add the carrots, celery and two pinches of salt. Stir and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add in the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and the uncooked white rice. Keep stirring until the tomato paste begins to break down. Add in the lobster stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
2. Add in the tail meat and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat. Using a blender, purée the bisque, in batches, until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in the cream if desired and taste for salt and pepper. If serving immediately add in the chopped lobster and chives or parsley. Enjoy!
3. 
   Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir.Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 12 years, working in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.Got questions? Recipes? Ideas? [contact-form-7 id=”26578″ title=”Write to Kayleigh”]