Mary Berry Lobster Bisque Recipe

This Mary Berry Lobster Bisque is a creamy and elegant recipe, which is made with fresh lobster and brandy. It’s perfect for a special occasion, ready in about 50 minutes.

Mary Berry Lobster Bisque Ingredients

• 30 g (1 oz) butter
• 6 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 cooked large lobster
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• juice of 1 small lemon
• 4 tbsp brandy
• 300 ml (1/2 pint) dry white wine
• 1.5 litre (2 1/2 pints) fish stock
• 60 g (2 oz) long-grain rice
• about 3 tbsp single cream (optional)
• snipped chives, to garnish

How To Make Mary Berry Lobster Bisque

1. Sauté the aromatics: Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the chopped shallots and carrot and cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
2. Prepare the lobster: Using a mallet or rolling pin, crack the lobster shells. Remove all the cooked meat and set it aside. Keep one large piece of the shell and discard the rest. Slice the meat from the claws and tail, reserving a few nice pieces for the garnish.
3. Reduce the liquids: Add the cayenne pepper, paprika, lemon juice, and brandy to the softened shallots and carrot. Cook over a high heat until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
4. Simmer the bisque base: Add the white wine, fish stock, rice, and the reserved piece of lobster shell to the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove and discard the lobster shell.
5. Heat the lobster: Add the chopped lobster meat (reserving the garnish pieces) to the pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes, just until the lobster is heated through.
6. Blend and strain: Purée the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. For a perfectly silky texture, pour the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan to remove any tiny pieces of shell.
7. Finish and serve: Return the sieved soup to the pan. Stir in the cream, if using. Reheat gently without boiling, taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary. Serve at once, garnished with the reserved lobster slices and a sprinkling of snipped chives.

Recipe Tips

• How to get the most flavor? Don’t skip the step of simmering the soup with a piece of the lobster shell. This infuses the bisque with a deep, authentic lobster flavour that you can’t get from the meat alone.
• Why strain the soup? Straining the bisque after blending is the secret to a professional, restaurant-quality result. It guarantees a silky-smooth texture and removes any tiny, gritty fragments of shell.
• Can I use pre-cooked lobster meat? You can, but you will miss out on the incredible depth of flavour that comes from simmering the stock with the shell. If you do use pre-cooked meat, use the best quality fish or seafood stock you can find.
• What if I don’t want to use brandy? Brandy adds a classic, aromatic warmth to the bisque. You can omit it, but the flavour will be different. You could add an extra splash of white wine instead.

What To Serve With Lobster Bisque

This elegant soup is a starter in itself, but is best served with:

• Thin slices of crusty baguette or sourdough bread
• Oyster crackers
• A simple green salad on the side

How To Store Lobster Bisque

• Refrigerate: Allow the bisque to cool completely. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat very gently, being careful not to let it boil.
• Freeze: Freezing is not recommended for this recipe. The cream can split and the delicate texture of the lobster meat can become tough upon reheating.

FAQs

• What is a bisque? A bisque is a type of smooth, creamy, and highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans like lobster, crab, or shrimp.
• Why did my bisque curdle? This can happen if the soup is boiled after the cream has been added. Heat is the enemy of cream-based sauces and soups. Always reheat gently over a low heat and never let it come to a rolling boil.
• Can I make this dairy-free? It would be a significant departure from the classic recipe. You could try using a high-quality olive oil instead of butter and a full-fat, unsweetened oat milk or cashew cream instead of single cream, but the flavour and texture will be different.

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry Spiced Autumn Soup Recipe
• Mary Berry’s Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe
• Mary Berry’s Blue Stilton and Onion Soup Recipe

Mary Berry Lobster Bisque Recipe

Course: SoupsCuisine: British

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

192

kcal

A light, elegant, and deeply flavourful version of the classic French soup, perfect for a special occasion.

Ingredients

• 30 g (1 oz) butter
  

• 6 shallots, chopped
  

• 1/2 carrot, chopped
  

• 1 cooked large lobster
  

• pinch of cayenne pepper
  

• 1/2 tsp paprika
  

• juice of 1 small lemon
  

• 4 tbsp brandy
  

• 300 ml (1/2 pint) dry white wine
  

• 1.5 litre (2 1/2 pints) fish stock
  

• 60 g (2 oz) long-grain rice
  

• 3 tbsp single cream (optional)
  

• snipped chives, to garnish

Directions

• Melt butter in a large pan. Add shallots and carrot and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
  
• Remove meat from the cooked lobster, reserving a few pieces for garnish and one large piece of shell.
  
• Add cayenne, paprika, lemon juice, and brandy to the pan; reduce over high heat.
  
• Add wine, fish stock, rice, and the reserved lobster shell. Cook for 15 minutes until rice is tender. Remove shell.
  
• Add the lobster meat (except garnish) and season. Heat gently for 5 minutes.
  
• Purée the soup in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve.
  
• Return to the pan, add cream if using, and reheat gently. Do not boil.
  
• Serve garnished with reserved lobster and snipped chives.