Seafood bisque

Name: Seafood bisque
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1 boiled lobster; 250 g prawn shells; 100 g butter; ½ fennel, sliced; 1 yellow onion, sliced; ¼ celeriac, diced; 2 tomatoes, diced; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 2 tbsp tomato purée, concentrate; 1 tsp cumin seed; 200 ml white wine vinegar; 1 l water; 500 ml whipped cream; ½ lemon; salt and black pepper; 1 tbsp water; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1 tsp vinegar for pickling; 1 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp salt; ½ cucumber, chopped; ½ fennel; 1 shallot; 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped; 50 g butter; 1 tsp lemon juice; salt and black pepper

A seafood bisque is a French soup packed with flavour and made from homemade seafood broth. Rich in taste and creamy in texture, this easy-to-make bisque is guaranteed to bring a taste of elegance to your dinner table. With lobster, it makes for a luxurious starter or main course that will live long in the memory.

Instructions

Seafood bisque:

Cut the lobster and remove the meat. Cut into smaller pieces and set aside.
Melt half of the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the lobster (and/or prawn) shells for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables, tomato puree and cumin seeds. Fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the white wine vinegar and water and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a further 20 minutes. Strain with a sieve (and cloth if necessary) and boil the broth until about 500 ml remains.
Add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and the remaining butter. Blend the soup using a hand blender and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cucumber salad:

Mix together the water, sugar, vinegar, olive oil and salt into a dressing.
Peel and core the cucumber using a spoon. Thinly slice the cucumber together with the fennel and onion. Mix with the dressing and dill.

To serve, arrange the cucumber salad and lobster meat in soup bowls. Pour in the hot soup to serve.

Enjoy!

Seafood bisque

What is the difference between stock and bisque?

Stock and bisque are both used as the culinary base for soups and sauces, however there are some differences between the two. Stock is made by simmering bones, vegetables and/or seasonings together that are then strained to create a broth used to add body and flavour to soups, stews and sauces. Bisque, on the other hand, is a seafood soup made by simmering lobster, crab or prawns together with vegetables such as onion, tomatoes, and celeriac. Cream and seasoning is often added to bisque to give it a creamy and rich texture. While stock often has a broth-like consistency.

Should a bisque be thick?

While seafood bisque typically offers a rich, creamy and smooth texture, the desired consistency and thickness (or thinness) can be adjusted to personal taste. To achieve a more broth-like consistency and lighter texture with your seafood bisque, try adding slightly less cream to the recipe. However, as cream is an important ingredient in seafood bisque and gives it its notable luxurious texture, as well as bringing balance to the flavours, removing too much cream may spoil the character of a true French classic.

How do you thicken seafood bisque?

Seafood bisque is already typically rich and creamy in flavour, but there are many things you can experiment with to add a thicker texture and consistency to your bisque. This includes adding corn starch or roux, a mixture of flour and fat, to your bisque throughout the cooking process; or simply reducing the amount of liquid by simmering your bisque on a low heat for a longer time. You can even blend some of the ingredients, such as the lobster meat or other seafood, until you get the desired consistency.

Is seafood bisque served hot or cold?

While seafood bisque is traditionally served and enjoyed as a hot meal through the colder months, there are chilled seafood bisque recipes that offer the perfect refreshing alternative for warmer climates. You’ll find chilled seafood bisque on the menu of many restaurants up and down the French riviera in the summer months.

Ingredients

Seafood bisque:

Boiled lobster	1
Prawn shells	250 g
Butter	100 g
Fennel, sliced	½
Yellow onion, sliced	1
Celeriac, diced	¼
Tomatoes, diced	2
Garlic cloves, sliced	2
Tomato purée, concentrate	2 tbsp
Cumin seed	1 tsp
White wine vinegar	200 ml
Water	1 l
Whipped cream	500 ml
Lemon	½
Salt and black pepper

Cucumber salad:

Water	1 tbsp
Caster sugar	2 tsp
Vinegar for pickling	1 tsp
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Salt	½ tsp
Cucumber, chopped	½
Fennel	½
Shallot	1
Fresh dill, finely chopped	2 tbsp
Butter	50 g
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Salt and black pepper