Fast Answer
This easy lobster bisque takes 35 minutes. Cook onion, celery, and carrot in butter, stir in tomato paste and flour, then whisk in milk, half and half, and stock. Blend or strain, then warm the lobster meat in the soup with the sherry. Serve it with crusty bread.
The Quick Version of Lobster Bisque
This is the quick version. It uses cooked lobster meat, a little sherry, and a simple vegetable base, and it’s ready in 35 minutes. What we’re aiming for is maximum impact with a minimum of frazzled nerves, so there’s no flambé, no chopping up whole lobsters, and no ingredient list as long as your arm. I make it for my wife and daughters, who love lobster in all forms.
Start Here
- Lobster: 1 to 2 cups of cooked lobster meat. Frozen and canned both work.
- Sherry or white wine: the lobster soaks in it while the soup cooks.
- Stock: chicken stock works. Lobster stock is better if you have it.
- Blend or strain: straining gives the smoothest soup.
- Serve with: crusty bread.
Which Version Should You Make?
- Quick Lobster Bisque (35 minutes, serves 4): cooked lobster meat, chicken stock, half and half. Start here.
- Classic Lobster Bisque With Homemade Lobster Stock (47 minutes, serves 8): 2 lbs of lobster, lobster stock, and heavy cream. This is the one for when you have the shells and want to make your own stock.
Why This Works
- Cooked lobster meat means no shells to simmer and no live lobsters to deal with.
- Tomato paste cooked in the vegetables adds color and depth.
- Flour cooked for two to three minutes thickens the soup without a raw taste.
- Adding the lobster last keeps it from overcooking.
A Valentine’s Day Option
What’s not to love? Sweet, succulent lobster, creamy base, and easy, too (but you don’t have to tell her that). It also works for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.
Quick Lobster Bisque Recipe
Equipment
- soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 - 2 cups cooked lobster meat you can now find lobster meat frozen or canned in most supermarkets - otherwise buy one and cook it yourself
- ½ cup dry sherry or dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup onion diced
- ¼ cup celery diced
- ¼ cup carrot diced
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cups whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup chicken stock if you have lobster stock, use that instead
Instructions
Soak the Lobster
- Combine the lobster meat with the sherry or wine. Cover and refrigerate.
Cook the Vegetables
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Once it stops sputtering, add the onion, celery, carrot, salt, white pepper, and Old Bay (if using). Stir and cook until the vegetables are translucent and getting soft.
Add the Tomato Paste and Flour
- Add the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring the whole time.
Add the Liquids
- While whisking, add the cold milk, half-and-half, and stock. Bring to a boil and boil for about 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Turn the heat down and simmer until slightly reduced.
Blend or Strain
- Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, or strain it through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids. Straining gives the smoothest soup. I blended mine.
Taste and Adjust
- Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or Old Bay if it needs it. Taste before you salt, since stock varies in saltiness.
Add the Lobster
- Add the lobster and sherry to the pot and simmer for just a couple of minutes, so the lobster is heated through.
Serve
- Serve with crusty bread. If you want to be fancy, sprinkle on a little chopped tarragon.
Substitutions
| If you don't have | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lobster meat | Frozen or canned lobster meat | Sold in most supermarkets |
| Dry sherry | Dry white wine | Listed in the recipe |
| Chicken stock | Lobster stock | Better if you have it |
| Old Bay | Leave it out | It's optional |
| Half and half | Heavy cream | A reader's swap, for a richer soup |
What Most Cooks Get Wrong
- Boiling the lobster in the soup: add it at the end and warm it through.
- Skipping the flour cooking time: the soup tastes raw.
- Adding the milk and cream warm: add them cold, while whisking.
- Salting too early: stock varies in saltiness. Taste first.
Quick Fixes and Tips
- Too thin? Simmer it a little longer.
- Too thick? Whisk in a little stock or milk.
- Not salty enough? Add salt a pinch at a time, or let people salt their own bowls.
- Need a richer soup? See the reader tips below.
Reader Tips
- Louise (2009): used fish stock, and baby langostinos from Trader Joe’s in place of lobster.
- Lori (2011): swapped heavy cream for the half and half for a richer soup, and used frozen lobster heads as her stock base.
- angeles (2011): adds prawn heads to the sauté and the mirepoix to the simmer, then strains it all through a chinois, pressing hard to squeeze out every bit of juice.
- Robyn (2018): made it as written, and boiled lobster shells with half an onion and a few carrots to make the stock.
- Sherry (2025): uses an immersion blender, grills 2–3 lobster tails (3 oz, when on sale), and uses Better Than Bouillon lobster base.
- Carol Jayne (2012): used seafood stock in place of chicken stock, and suggests letting people salt their own bowls.
What to Serve With This
- Crusty bread is what I serve it with.
- A little chopped tarragon on top is a nice garnish.
What Is a Bisque?
A bisque is a creamy soup made from crustacean shells (shellfish like shrimp and lobster) and is often puréed. Traditionally, chefs use the shells to make the stock, then thicken the soup and finish it with cream. This quick version skips the shells and starts with cooked meat.
Bisque vs. Chowder
A bisque is smooth and velvety. A chowder is thick and hearty, often with potatoes and chunks of seafood or vegetables. Bisques are traditionally French. Chowders are traditionally from the eastern coast of the United States, especially New England.
Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay is a spice blend associated with seafood, especially in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including Maryland and Virginia. It’s a classic with seafood, but it’s optional here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lobster Bisque
What ingredients are in lobster bisque? This recipe uses cooked lobster meat, dry sherry or white wine, butter, flour, onion, celery, carrot, tomato paste, milk, half and half, and stock. Old Bay is optional.
What alcohol goes in lobster bisque? This recipe uses dry sherry or dry white wine. The lobster sits in it while the soup cooks, then goes back into the pot at the end.
What is the difference between bisque and chowder? A bisque is smooth, creamy, and often puréed, and it’s classically made with shellfish. A chowder is thick and hearty, and it often has potatoes and chunks of seafood or vegetables.
Can I use frozen or canned lobster meat? Yes. Frozen or canned lobster meat is sold in most supermarkets. Otherwise, buy a lobster and cook it yourself.
Do I need to blend or strain lobster bisque? One or the other. Blending with an immersion blender is quick. Straining through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids, gives the smoothest soup.
What can I add to make lobster bisque taste better? Use lobster stock or seafood stock in place of chicken stock. Readers also swap in heavy cream for a richer soup, or use lobster base.
Can I make lobster bisque from lobster shells? Yes. Use the shells and carcass to make lobster stock, then use the stock in the classic version below. My first bisque was made this way: I cooked the tails for dinner and used the shells and carcass for stock, and the meat from the claws went in the soup.
What do you serve with lobster bisque? Crusty bread. A little chopped tarragon on top is a nice garnish.
What are tomalley and roe, and should I use them in lobster bisque? Tomalley is the green substance in a lobster’s body, and roe is the orange eggs. Both are optional. Tomalley can contain contaminants, so skip it if you are unsure.
Can pregnant women eat lobster bisque? That’s a question for your doctor. Two things to know: the lobster must be fully cooked, and the sherry is only simmered, so some alcohol remains.
Online Source: Lobster & Lobster Tails
We don't eat a lot of lobster except for special occasions, but if we did, I would not hesitate to purchase them from Lobster anywhere. And if I wanted to send lobsters or tails to family and friends, I would use them as my source. Lobster Anywhere has provided live Maine lobsters and premium seafood to white tablecloth restaurants, hotels, and large institutions throughout the United States for over three decades. They established an unparalleled reputation for serving customers with discerning tastes. If you want live Maine lobsters and fresh seafood delivered overnight for your business or special event, you can count on Lobster Anywhere to deliver.
21 Responses
Thank you for such a fabulous recipe! I have been on a quest for a good lobster bisque recipe for years, and yours is it. I do use Fish Stock, and that is probably a huge reason why it was so tasty. I also used baby langostinos from Trader Joes for the lobster since it is so pricey these days and it was perfed. Thank you reluctant gourmet! You have given me an easy elegant staple! Louise
I used to work in seafood restaurant(prep cook), and your recipe for Lobster bisque sounds like what the head chef made, so, I’m going to have to try it. Lily
FAN-TAS-TIC!!!! What a simple and easy recipe! Two thumbs up!! Had my sister-in-law and her hubby over for dinner tonight….they loved it! It was truly such a nice soup! Took a short cut because of limited time and skipped the celery and carrots (did not have these ingredients anyway) and, I did not blend or strain the soup…it was still perfect! I did double the recipe and it generously served 4. I used fish stock as well. very highly, recommend this, no fuss, lobster bisque!!
Hi Myra,
Glad you enjoyed the soup and thanks for sharing the shortcuts. RG
Fabulous Recipe
Thank you Doris – RG
In my search for a Lobster Bisque recipe (for my “Dead of Winter Soup Dinner”, we all bring different soups) I hit on this one. From all the comments, it sounds perfect. Wish me luck.
Hi Norma, good luck! – RG
I love the recipe. I do the same, only I add prawn heads to the saute with fumet and the mirepoix to the simmer. Once done, I filter through a chinois, pushing all the solids to squeeze as much of the juice from the heads and veggies as possible. Then I plate with the lobster. Try it! It’s awesome!
Sounds delightful Angeles, I will give it a try. I found prawns with their heads on while shopping at an Ikea in their Scandinavian food market. – RG
What do you mean in your recipe half + half? for Lobster Bisque
Hi Bev, half milk, half cream, a very popular and available product here in the United States. – RG
THANK YOU!!!!
I made this tonight and it turned out EXCELLENT!!!! I did substitute heavy cream for the 1/2 & 1/2 though because I was going for a richer texture. And it worked perfectly. I also had 2 lobster heads that I froze from last weeks ‘bake’ and used those as my stock base. My boyfriend asked me TWICE if I book marked the recipe! (and of course I did) He enjoyed it as much as I did. What a GREAT recipe!
You are very welcome Lori, glad you enjoyed it. – RG
So good! I just made it and it was lovely!!!!
excited to try this!
Enjoyed making this resipe with my husband very very good. It came out better than the restaurant and very simple. I had never made lobster bisque before and this one taste like I was a professional.
Thanks
Delicious and easy! The sherry made it and the seafood stock (instead of chicken stock). It was tricky though adding the salt to taste. I’m better with knowing an exact measurement. It definitely needed salt but I was afraid I’d add too much, then it’s too late. Might help if people add it to their own individual bowls to taste. Thank you for your yummy bisque recipe!
Made this for my family. It was easy, excellent and we give it 4 thumbs up!
I have some fish I wanted to add to this, would you recommend it with the lobster?
Why not Ashley? You are creating a seafood bisque recipe that I’m sure will be delicious.
I made this recipe exactly as written and it came out perfect! I boiled lobster shells with a half an onion and a few carrots to make the stock. Great recipe! Everyone loved it!
Thanks Robyn for letting me know.
I made this last night as I love lobster bisque. Never made it before. Your recipe was the bomb. Exactly what I was looking for and I looked at many. You had the right combo. Thank you!
Immersion blender makes it easy to put the depth of the vegetable in this soup. I grill 2-3 (3 oz lobster tails when on sale). Better than bullion has a lobster base that makes this even easier.
Sherry, great tips. Thanks.