History

Maine lobster bisque grew out of French restaurant kitchens of the late 19th century, when American chefs adapted the French bisque format (a strained shellfish soup thickened with rice and enriched with cream) to use Maine lobster instead of the smaller Atlantic prawns or langoustines. Portland's high-end seafood restaurants codified the modern version: Fore Street, J's Oyster Bar, and the Eventide Oyster Co. all run versions. The Portland version typically includes a tablespoon of brandy and a smaller pour of sherry; the cream is usually heavy (35 percent), and the surface gets a final crown of tarragon oil and claw meat. The canonical winter Maine lobster preparation.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 1 hrTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 live Maine lobsters (about 600g each; or use 500g cooked lobster meat plus 400g shells)
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 small fennel bulb, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 60ml dry sherry (Amontillado)
  • 60ml brandy or cognac
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 1.5L hot water plus 1 fish bouillon cube (or use 1.5L homemade fish stock)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried tarragon plus 1 small bunch fresh tarragon
  • 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • 60g long-grain white rice (the classic French bisque thickener)
  • 250ml heavy cream (35 percent)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Garnish: 2 tbsp olive oil blended with 2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves (tarragon oil), 1 tsp finely chopped chives, paprika for dusting

Method

  1. If using live lobsters, plunge them into a large pot of fast-boiling salted water, cover, and cook 9 minutes for 600g lobsters. Lift out and cool on a tray.
  2. When cool enough to handle, crack the shells and remove all the meat (tail, claws, knuckles), keeping the meat in chunks. Reserve every shell, the body, and any tomalley and roe.
  3. Roughly crush the shells with a rolling pin or the back of a heavy knife on a board.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the crushed shells and roast for 5 minutes until fragrant and bright red.
  5. Add the onion, carrot, celery, fennel and garlic; cook 8 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
  6. Stir in the tomato paste; cook 90 seconds.
  7. Pour in the sherry and brandy; ignite if you wish (this is theatre, not essential); let bubble and reduce 60 seconds.
  8. Add the white wine, hot water/stock, bay leaves, dried tarragon, peppercorns, cayenne and the rice.
  9. Bring to a low simmer, partially cover, and cook 45 minutes until the rice is completely soft and the stock is deeply red and aromatic.
  10. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing the shells hard to extract every drop. Discard the solids.
  11. Working in batches, blend the stock and any reserved tomalley/roe in a powerful blender until silky smooth.
  12. Return to a clean pot, whisk in the heavy cream; simmer gently 10 minutes (do not boil hard, the cream may split).
  13. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tbsp butter for shine; check for salt.
  14. Plate the lobster meat: divide most of the chunks across warm shallow bowls, reserving 4 to 6 of the prettiest claw chunks for the centre garnish.
  15. Ladle the hot bisque over the meat. Place a single claw chunk in the centre of each bowl, drizzle tarragon oil in a spiral, scatter chives, dust with paprika.
  16. Serve immediately with crusty Maine sourdough on the side.

Tip from the editors. The roasted-shell-and-rice technique is the structural step that defines a true French-style bisque; without it you have lobster cream soup, not bisque. The rice fully dissolves in the blender, giving the body without needing a flour or cornstarch thickener.

Where to eat maine lobster bisque

Maine Lobster Bisque in Portland

Fore Street ★ 4.8

New AmericanChef Frederic Eliot$$$$$80 to $130 plated, no fixed tastingDaily 16:30-22:00Book Up to 2 months online; same-day walk-ins fill the bar ahead

Fore Street has been Portland's flagship wood-fired dining room since 1996, with a wood-burning oven, open hearth and turning spit at the kitchen's heart.

288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101 Book →

Scales ★ 4.5

New England Seafood$$$old-portDaily 16:00-22:00

Scales on Maine Wharf, since March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team), with whole local fish and a raw bar.

Signature: Maine lobster roll, Whole local fish, Raw bar oysters

Order: The Maine lobster roll, then a half dozen Glidden Point oysters.

Tip: Lunch from 11:30, dinner from 17:00. Resy reservations recommended; the bar takes walk-ins.

68 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101 Book →

Eventide Oyster Co ★ 4.9

Seafood$$$india-streetDaily 11:00-23:00

Eventide Oyster Co on Middle Street opened 2012 from Big Tree Hospitality, rebuilding the Maine oyster bar around a brown-butter lobster roll on a bao.

Signature: Brown butter lobster roll, Oysters on the half shell, Smoked bluefish pate

Order: The brown butter lobster roll on a Bao bun, plus a dozen oysters from the granite bar.

Tip: Walk-up only for the bar; tables open online via Resy 30 days ahead.

86 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101 Book →

Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room ★ 4.0

New England Seafood$$$old-portMon-Thu 11:30-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:30-21:30, Sun 11:30-20:30

Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the 1898 Boone's site from the Harding Lee Smith group, with lobster rolls, halibut and chowder.

Signature: Lobster roll, Pan-roasted halibut, Fish chowder

Order: The Maine lobster roll on a New England top-split bun, plus fish chowder.

Tip: Daily lunch and dinner; the deck fills early summer evenings.

6 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101 Book →

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