Julia Child Lobster Bisque Recipe

Julia Child Lobster Bisque (Bisque de Homard) is a luxurious French cream soup made from lobster shells, meat, and aromatic ingredients. Julia writes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (page 32): “A bisque is a rich, thick, highly seasoned soup of puréed shellfish… it is an easy as well as elegant way to eat small crustaceans.”

This is restaurant-quality cooking for special occasions. Julia describes it as “love’s labor” because it takes time. But the technique isn’t tricky; it’s just multiple steps. The result is deeply flavored, silky, and luxurious in a way no shortcut version can match.

What is Lobster Bisque? A classic French soup where lobster shells are sautéed, simmered with wine and aromatics, puréed, and enriched with cream and shellfish butter. The shells give the soup its distinctive coral color and deep flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• True restaurant quality: This is the authentic French technique. No cream-of-something shortcuts. The flavor is incomparable.
• Every bit of flavor extracted: Shells are sautéed, simmered, then puréed with butter. Nothing goes to waste. Nothing goes down the drain.
• Worth the effort for special occasions: Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, impressive dinner parties. This is the soup for those moments.
• Rice thickens it naturally: Julia uses rice as a thickener (the classic French method), which creates silkiness without flour.
• Make it ahead: The bisque can be prepared a day or two ahead, with cream and final butter added just before serving.

Julia Child Lobster Bisque Ingredients

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 2, Pages 32-36. Serves 6-8.

For the Base:

• Chest parts with shells and legs from 3-4 fresh lobsters (1¼ to 1½ lbs each)
• 1 cup mirepoix (equal parts diced onions, carrots, celery)
• 1½ Tb butter
• 1½ cups chopped fresh tomato pulp (3-4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded)
• 2 Tb olive oil

For Simmering:

• ⅓ cup Cognac
• 1½ cups dry white wine (or 1 cup dry vermouth)
• 2 Tb fresh tarragon (or 1 Tb dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic, mashed
• Large pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper

For the Soup:

• 3 cups fish stock or clam juice
• 2 cups beef stock or bouillon
• ¼ cup plain white rice

For Shellfish Butter:

• 6 Tb butter
• Reserved chopped lobster shells

For Finishing:

• ½ to 1 cup heavy cream
• 2-3 Tb minced fresh chervil, tarragon, or parsley
• Croûtons or French bread

How To Make Julia Child Lobster Bisque

1. Prepare the Mirepoix: Cook the diced onions, carrots, and celery slowly in butter for 6-8 minutes until tender but not browned. Prepare the tomato pulp. Cut lobster chests in half lengthwise.
2. Sauté the Lobster Shells: Film a large casserole with olive oil over moderately high heat. When very hot, add the lobster chest pieces cut side down and the legs. Toss and turn frequently until shells are deep red, about 4-5 minutes. Julia emphasizes: “Color is important here, as it is the shells that tint the soup.”
3. Flambé and Simmer: Season with salt and pepper. Pour on the Cognac and ignite it. When flames die, add the wine, tarragon, bay leaf, mirepoix, tomatoes, garlic, and cayenne. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
4. Extract the Meat: Remove lobster pieces from the sauce. Extract all the meat from the shells (you’ll have about 1 cup). Reserve half for the soup, half for garnish. Purée the cooking sauce through a food mill or sieve. Chop the shells into small pieces for the shellfish butter.
5. Cook the Rice: Bring fish stock and beef stock to a boil. Add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes. This will thicken your soup.
6. Purée Rice and Lobster: Drain the rice, reserving the liquid. Blend the rice with half the lobster meat, adding cooking liquid as needed. Scrape purée into the rice-cooking pot.
7. Make Shellfish Butter: Heat 6 tablespoons butter until bubbling. Add the chopped shells and sauté for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently to heat thoroughly. Purée in a blender. Press through a sieve to extract every bit of butter. This coral-colored butter is pure flavor.
8. Prepare the Garnish: Sauté the reserved lobster meat in 2 tablespoons of the shellfish butter for 2 minutes, tossing and turning. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons Cognac and cook until evaporated. Add to the soup.
9. Final Finishing: Bring the bisque to a simmer. Adjust thickness with stock if needed. Correct seasoning. Just before serving, stir in the cream, then remove from heat and whisk in the shellfish butter by spoonfuls. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve with croûtons.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t wash anything until you’re done. Julia insists on this: “You don’t want any marvelous tidbits of flavor losing themselves down the drain.”
• Cook the shells until deep red. The color from the sautéed shells gives the bisque its beautiful coral hue.
• Rice is the classic thickener. Not flour, not roux. Rice purées to create silky body without heaviness.
• Make shellfish butter with care. Purée the shells with butter, then strain. This extracts color, flavor, and richness.
• Add cream and butter at the end. Don’t boil after adding. Heat gently to preserve the silky texture.
• Save the tails and claws for another dish. Julia suggests using chests and legs for bisque, and reserving the prized tails, claws, and tomalley for a main dish like Homard à l’Américaine.

Recipe Variations

• Shrimp Bisque (Bisque de Crevettes): Use 1¼ to 1½ lbs raw shrimp in shells. Simmer only 5 minutes instead of 20. Use shells for the shellfish butter.
• Crab Bisque (Bisque de Crabes): Julia calls this “even more one of love’s labors.” Use 6-8 live crabs. The flavor is “marvelously rich and deeply flavored.”
• Crayfish Bisque (Bisque d’Écrevisses): Use 24-30 live crayfish for 2 quarts of soup. Follow the master recipe.

What To Serve With Lobster Bisque

This is an elegant first course:

• Croûtons (diced bread sautéed in butter) floated on top.
• Melba toast or French bread passed separately.
• Fresh herbs (chervil, tarragon, or parsley) as final garnish.
• Light main course afterward – grilled fish or roasted chicken. The bisque is rich.

Wine: A white Burgundy, Chablis, or Champagne pairs beautifully with the luxurious richness.

How To Store

• Refrigerator: Store the bisque (without final cream and butter) for up to 2 days. Add cream and butter only when reheating to serve.
• Freezer: Freeze the base for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, reheat gently, then add cream and butter.
• Reheat: Warm slowly over medium-low heat. Stir in cream and shellfish butter just before serving. Do not boil.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (serves 8):

• Calories: 295 kcal
• Protein: 14g
• Total Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 8g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 580mg
• Cholesterol: 95mg

FAQs

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 2 by Julia Child, Pages 32-36

– Claire