Velvet Lobster Bisque with Cognac Cream

⏱ 150 min · Serves 4

A deeply rich, coral-hued bisque built properly from roasted lobster shells, brandy and tomato, finished with sweet poached lobster meat and a swirl of whipped cognac cream. It takes an afternoon, but one spoonful and you're in a white-tablecloth dining room.

Per serving: 615 kcal · 31.0g protein · 15.0g carbs · 44.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 live or cooked whole lobsters (about 600g each), or 800g lobster shells plus 250g lobster meat
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek (white part), chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 100ml dry white wine
• 100ml Cognac (plus 2 tbsp for the cream)
• 1.5 litres fish stock or water
• 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 5 tarragon stalks
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp long-grain rice (for thickening)
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 100ml double cream, cold, for the cognac cream
• 1 tsp chopped chives, to finish

Method

1. If using live lobsters, chill them in the freezer for 20 minutes, then plunge into boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Lift out, cool, and pick all the meat from tails and claws. Reserve the meat, chilled, and keep every scrap of shell and head (discard the grit sac).
2. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan. Crush the shells roughly with a rolling pin, toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and roast on a tray for 20-25 minutes until deep red and fragrant.
3. In a large heavy pot, melt the butter with the remaining oil. Sweat the onion, leek, carrot and celery over medium heat for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 3 minutes until brick-red, then add the chopped tomatoes and the roasted shells.
5. Pour in the Cognac and, off the heat, carefully flambe or simply let it bubble away for 2 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half.
6. Add the stock, herbs and cayenne. Bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered for 50 minutes, skimming occasionally. Stir in the rice for the last 20 minutes.
7. Remove the herb stalks. Blitz the whole lot, shells included, in a powerful blender in batches (30 seconds each) — this extracts maximum flavour. Then pass through a colander, and finally through a fine sieve lined with muslin, pressing hard. Discard the solids.
8. Return the strained bisque to a clean pan and simmer to reduce until it lightly coats a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the 200ml cream, lemon juice, salt and white pepper. Keep hot but do not boil hard.
9. Whip the cold 100ml cream to soft peaks with 2 tbsp Cognac and a pinch of salt.
10. Slice the reserved lobster meat and warm it gently in a little of the bisque for 1 minute. Divide between warm bowls, ladle over the bisque, spoon on the cognac cream and scatter with chives. Serve at once.
11. Serve with crusty sourdough and the rest of the white wine.