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Authentic Bisque Recipe France, Europe
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
This thick, creamy seafood soup is traditionally made with lobster, shrimp, crab, or crayfish. Most bisque recipes usually start by making a rich broth by simmering the shells of whichever crustacean is being used with stock. The meat is then sautéed with herbs, onions, garlic, and occasionally other vegetables such as leek or carrot, after which the pan is deglazed with white wine, brandy, or sherry. The broth and meat are then mixed together and simmered, after which the soup is puréed and finished with double cream and lemon. This delicious gourmet seafood soup is mild and filling, and is traditionally served in a double-handled cup or in a mug.
Cooking tips
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lobster
When buying a lobster, make sure it has no missing pieces or signs of damage. As far as killing the lobster humanely, there are two ways to go about it; one is to put the lobster in the freezer for two hours, the other is to plunge the lobster head first, but totally immersed, in vigorously boiling water (4.5 L/4.8 qt per lobster), and then holding it under water for 2 minutes. If the lobster needs ... Read more -
how to shell a lobster
Lay the lobster on its back. Remove the claws from the base of the body by pulling them towards you. Turn the lobster backside up. Take the head of the lobster with one hand, and with the other, grab the tail and twist it, so it breaks off. Take the tail and break the finns off with your hand. Place the tail in your hand, then squeeze it enough to crack the shell, then pull apart the shell to expose ... Read more -
crayfish
When preparing crayfish, the number one rule is that the liquid, either stock or water, must be at a rolling boil when you start adding the live crayfish. Add the crayfish in small batches, and if they are cooked later in the recipe, you need to boil them only for 3-4 minutes, or 5-6 minutes if they need to be served plain boiled. Also, the first step before preparing a crayfish dish is you need to ... Read more -
mussels
When choosing the right mussels make sure they are firmly closed; any cracked or half-opened shells that do not close when tapped are not to be used. Freshly caught mussels need to be cooked within three days, and before cooking, completely cleaned from any attached beard-like filaments and parasites. It's best to do that under running water by brushing and scraping after which you then firmly pull ... Read more
Recipe variations
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Larousse Gastronomique's Lobster Bisque
Ready in 1hAdapted from Larousse Gastronomique, this version of the creamy French soup has rice as a thickener which is cooked separately in consommé and is later processed with pounded shells. The flavor is enhanced with both dry white wine, as well as Cognac, together with seasoning consisting only of bouquet garni and some salt and pepper. If desired, the tail meat can be used to make medallions; the finished soup is garnished with finely diced meat from the thorax, legs, and claws of the lobster.
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Lobster and Cornish Crab Bisque
Ready in 1h 20minOnce a fixture on the menu at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, this lobster and Cornish crab bisque recipe combines both lobster and crab together to make the perfectly seasoned and creamy soup. The soup is thickened with double cream and served with poached lobster meat and brandy butter.
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Louisiana-style Crayfish Bisque
Ready in 1h 50minCrayfish, a freshwater crustacean, is the star of this Louisiana-style bisque soup. The recipe follows a slightly different procedure than the traditional one, the main difference being that the ingredients are all cooked in the same pot almost right from the start. Regarding ingredients, garlic cloves are also added to the soup, which is flavored with saffron, fennel seeds, and some optional Tabasco for extra spiciness. The soup is thickened with rice, and all the ingredients, together with shells, are blended in a food processor and strained.
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French Mussel Bisque
Ready in 1h 10minAlthough traditionally prepared with crab, lobster, or crayfish, this French mussel bisque adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That is well worth its place in the group. The dish is made with the cooking liquid from the mussels, but the shells are discarded, and only mussel meat is used. A copious amount of wine, a whole bottle, is used for making the soup, while large amounts of half-and-half and cream thicken the soup at the end.
Larousse Gastronomique's Lobster Bisque
PREP 30min
COOK 30min
READY IN 1h
Adapted from Larousse Gastronomique, this version of the creamy French soup has rice as a thickener which is cooked separately in consommé and is later processed with pounded shells. The flavor is enhanced with both dry white wine, as well as Cognac, together with seasoning consisting only of bouquet garni and some salt and pepper. If desired, the tail meat can be used to make medallions; the finished soup is garnished with finely diced meat from the thorax, legs, and claws of the lobster.
Ingredients
5-6 tbsp mirepoix (a mix of onion, carrots, and celery, in equal amounts, finely diced)
105g (7 tbsp) butter
1.25 L (5 cups + 3 tbsp) consommé or fish stock
75g (5 tbsp) short-grain rice
2 small lobsters
7 tbs dry white wine
3 tbsp cognac
salt
pepper, cayenne pepper
bouquet garni
150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) crème fraîche
Preparation
Step 1/7
In a very large pot, sauté mirepoix in 40g (1.4 oz) of butter. Then, add the two small lobsters that you've cut into pieces (for instructions on how to cut up lobsters, check out the "lobster" tip in the "cooking tips" section of the website), together with salt, pepper, and bouquet garni. Sauté everything until the lobster shells turn red.
Step 2/7
In a small ladle, heat up three tablespoons of Cognac, pour that over the lobsters, set alight, and stir well. Next, add seven tablespoons of dry white wine and cook until it's reduced by two-thirds, then add 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) of consommé and cook carefully for the next ten minutes.
Step 3/7
Take the pot off the heat and leave it to cool. Meanwhile, cook rice in 500 ml (2 cups) of consommé.
Step 4/7
Once the lobsters have cooled, shell them (for instructions on how to shell the lobsters, check out the "how to shell a lobster" tip in the "cooking tips" section of the website), finely dice the tail meat, and save for garnishing later.
Step 5/7
Pound the shells and purée them with the cooked rice and the cooking liquid from the rice and lobsters. Pass the purée through a fine sieve.
Step 6/7
Transfer the purée to a pot, then add the remaining consommé and boil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7/7
Let the bisque has cool slightly, then divide between plates. Add a dash of pepper, crème fraîche, and the remaining butter (cut up into dices). To finish, add the diced tail meat. Serve piping hot.
Other Variations
-
Lobster and Cornish Crab Bisque
Ready in 1h 20minOnce a fixture on the menu at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, this lobster and Cornish crab bisque recipe combines both lobster and crab together to make the perfectly seasoned and creamy soup. The soup is thickened with double cream and served with poached lobster meat and brandy butter.
-
Louisiana-style Crayfish Bisque
Ready in 1h 50minCrayfish, a freshwater crustacean, is the star of this Louisiana-style bisque soup. The recipe follows a slightly different procedure than the traditional one, the main difference being that the ingredients are all cooked in the same pot almost right from the start. Regarding ingredients, garlic cloves are also added to the soup, which is flavored with saffron, fennel seeds, and some optional Tabasco for extra spiciness. The soup is thickened with rice, and all the ingredients, together with shells, are blended in a food processor and strained.
-
French Mussel Bisque
Ready in 1h 10minAlthough traditionally prepared with crab, lobster, or crayfish, this French mussel bisque adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That is well worth its place in the group. The dish is made with the cooking liquid from the mussels, but the shells are discarded, and only mussel meat is used. A copious amount of wine, a whole bottle, is used for making the soup, while large amounts of half-and-half and cream thicken the soup at the end.
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