Our homemade lobster bisque recipe is every bit as good as a restaurant's. It's luscious and creamy, with a rich flavor and a smooth texture.
Lobster Bisque Recipe photo by Taste of Home

A well-made lobster bisque is nothing short of incredible: velvety smooth and packed full of rich seafood flavor. The secret to getting there is to make the broth from scratch. Lobster shells and a touch of tomato paste create deep, complex flavors that are perfectly rounded out when you add a splash of heavy cream. Finish it off by studding the creamy soup with chunks of buttery lobster meat, and you have a date-night dinner winner.

It might feel overwhelming to learn how to make lobster bisque from scratch, but you can whip up a restaurant-quality version at home with a handful of pantry staples and a few specialty ingredients. Better yet, our version is naturally gluten-free, pureeing rice to thicken the soup and give it body instead of using flour.

What is a bisque?

Bisque is a blended soup that’s characterized by its thick, creamy texture. The soup itself is smooth but not thin, and it’s usually garnished with large chunks of cooked lobster, shrimp, crab or vegetables. The soup gets its body by pureeing flavorful broth with cooked rice, thickening it up without having to add flour or cornstarch. Most bisque also contains butter and heavy cream, making it very rich and filling.

Lobster Bisque Ingredients

Homemade lobster bisque soup from scratch on table with bread.Taste of Home

  • Water
  • Live lobsters
  • Butter
  • Yellow onion
  • Carrots
  • Tomato paste
  • Garlic cloves
  • White wine or sherry
  • Seafood stock
  • Long grain rice
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Minced fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground pepper
  • Fresh parsley, optional

Directions

Step 1: Cook the lobsters

In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the water over high heat until it reaches a boil. Add the lobsters and cover the pot. Steam the lobsters for eight minutes, until the shells are bright pink and the meat is opaque.

Remove the lobsters from the cooking liquid, reserving the liquid for later. When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the claws and tail, saving the shells and any juices. Refrigerate the meat until step three.

Editor’s Tip: You can cook the lobster up to two days in advance, storing the meat, shells, cooking liquid and juices in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Make the broth

Wipe out the Dutch oven and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook until they’re tender, about five to eight minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it starts to caramelize and release its oils, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Deglaze the pan with the wine or sherry and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the reserved lobster cooking liquid, juices and shells, along with the seafood stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for one hour.

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander, pressing on the shells to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the shells and solids.

Step 3: Create the lobster bisque soup

Return the strained broth to the Dutch oven and add the rice. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the rice is very soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to a blender and puree until the mixture is very smooth.

Return the pureed soup to the Dutch oven and add the cream, thyme, salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a very low simmer over medium-low heat. Add the lobster meat and cook until it’s heated through.

Serve lobster bisque with additional black pepper and parsley, if desired.

Lobster Bisque Variations

Classic bisque is made with shellfish like lobster, but modern versions stray outside the boundaries. You can make it with other seafood like crab and shrimp or use vegetables like tomatoes, butternut squash or parsnips and celeriac.

Lobster Bisque Tips

How do you store lobster bisque?

Store any leftover lobster bisque in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it’s good for about two to three days. Unfortunately, freezing lobster bisque isn’t recommended, so you won’t want to make a ton of leftovers. The cream can separate as the soup thaws, creating an undesirable grittiness. Since part of bisque’s magic is its smooth texture, it just won’t be the same.

What do you serve with lobster bisque?

Lobster bisque soup can be served as the starter course for a special-occasion meal, or you can turn it into the main meal itself by serving it with some well-placed sides. For the latter, try serving bisque with homemade dinner rolls or breadsticks. You can also lighten up the meal with a salad or vegetable side, like oven-roasted vegetables,or grilled zucchini.

Lobster Bisque

My grandmother would make lobster bisque all the time, so I've always thought of it as comfort food. If you don't care to cook live lobsters, they can usually be cooked where you buy them. Just be sure to say that you want to keep the shells; they are the key to the most delicious soup! —James Schend, Dairy Freed
Lobster Bisque Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 35 min. Cook: 1-3/4 hours

Makes

2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 2 live lobsters (about 1 pound each)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup white wine or sherry
  • 1 carton (32 ounces) seafood stock
  • 2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • Minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

  1. In a Dutch oven, add 2 inches water; bring to a rolling boil. Add lobsters, cover, and steam for 8 minutes. Remove lobsters, reserving liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from claws and tail, reserving any juices; refrigerate meat and juices.
  2. In the same Dutch oven, cook carrots and onion in butter over medium-high heat until tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add lobster shells, bodies, reserved cooking liquid, reserved lobster juices and stock. Bring mixture to a simmer; cook 1 hour. Strain mixture, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard shells and solids.
  3. Return liquid to Dutch oven. Add rice and cook until extremely soft, 25-30 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth. Add cream, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to very low simmer; add reserved lobster meat and cook until heated through. If desired, sprinkle with additional ground pepper and parsley.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 373 calories, 26g fat (17g saturated fat), 127mg cholesterol, 942mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 1g fiber), 10g protein.