The Best Lobster Bisque (Ruth's Chris Copycat Recipe)

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

water (to boil)

3 small lobster tails (or 2 large)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (sliced)

1 large celery stalk (sliced)

1 small carrot (sliced)

1 head garlic (cut in half crosswise)

1 medium tomato (sliced)

2 sprigs fresh tarragon (optional)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

½ cup brandy

½ cup sherry

2 cups bottled clam juice

¼ cup tomato paste

½ cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

½ teaspoon salt

freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Directions

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add lobster tails to water, and boil until cooked through and bright red, approximately 5 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large bowl. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid, saving as much loose lobster meat with the liquid as possible.

Cool lobster tails by running under cool water. Crack tails and remove meat using the method of your choice - see Notes.

Coarsely chop lobster meat, then cover and chill.

Coarsely chop lobster shells and transfer to medium bowl. Reserve juices from lobster in a bowl.

Heat large pot over medium-high heat. When pot is warm, add olive oil and heat, swirling pot occasionally to coat bottom of pot in oil. When oil is hot and shimmery, add lobster shells. Sauté shells in oil until shells darken, approximately 5 minutes.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, tomato, tarragon, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Stir in brandy and sherry, then boil until almost all liquid has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes.

Add clam juice, reserved liquid from boiling lobster, and reserved lobster juices. Cook at strong simmer for approximately 15 minutes.

Strain soup through sieve set over large saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Whisk tomato paste into soup. Simmer until soup is reduced to 3 cups, approximately 15 minutes. If making bisque ahead of time, stop here. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

Add whipping cream to soup and simmer 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water. Add to soup. Boil until slightly thickened, approximately 2 minutes.

Season with salt and black pepper. Mix lobster meat into soup and stir until heated through.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 353 kcal
• Total Fat: 19 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 101 mg
• Sodium: 849 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 15 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 11 g