Lobster Bisque appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Maine Lobster Bisque · Portland
A velvety cream soup built from a roasted lobster-shell stock, sweet Maine lobster meat, sherry, brandy, butter and cream, finished with a swirl of tarragon oil and chunks of claw meat.
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.
Where to eat in Portland:
- Fore Street
- Scales
- Eventide Oyster Co
- Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room