Lobster Bisque

After cooking, extract the meat and simmer the shells

You definitely want a boiled whole lobster for your first visit to Bar Harbor. Maybe even the next meal. But sooner or later you will want to experiment with another lobster dish. Perhaps a lobster roll or lobster sauce over linguine. Here on the coast, where obtaining lobster is a matter of hauling a trap, we have to get creative. The bib and a plate full of shell carnage gets old. Lobster bisque to the rescue!

• two medium sized lobsters
• 2-1/2 cups beef, chicken or fish stock
• 6 peppercorns, two cloves, one bay leaf
• one medium yellow onion
• two carrots
• two stalks celery
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• one cup dry white wine-buy local! (optional)
• three cups milk
• one cup cream or half and half
• 1 tsp paprika
• chopped fresh parsley

A bisque allows two medium sized lobsters to feed more than two people, so it’s a way to stretch the food dollar. Boil the lobster as usual (10 minutes for the first pound, 3 min. for each additional pound…more details here) and after extracting the meat, break up the shells and body and put back into the pot, covering with 2-1/2 cups of chicken, beef or fish stock. Simmer for 1/2 hour with 6 peppercorns, two cloves and a bay leaf. Chop up the meat and keep it cool. In a skillet sauté a medium sliced onion and 1/2 cup diced celery and 1/2 cup diced carrot (not shown) in 4 tbsp butter until tender. At this point you may wish to add 1 cup of dry white wine and cook until almost dry. Whisk in 1/4 cup of  flour and gradually add 3 cups of milk until smooth. Transfer this to a blender with all but 1/4 cup of the lobster meat and liquefy, thinning if necessary with a little stock. Now strain the shell stock and add to the bisque. Set on simmer, add 1 tsp paprika and salt to taste and stir in one cup cream or half and half. When heated through, mix in reserved lobster meat or use as top garnish along with parsley when served.  Yields 8 cups.

Should you find yourself wondering how you are going to prepare this meal in a cramped hotel room, remember that SeaCat’s Rest offers a full cook’s kitchen with basic stuff like spices, flour and sugar. You’ll have to buy the lobsters and other ingredients.

Related Posts:

• Lobster License!!
• Monarch’s Journey, The Start South from Lamoine