One has to wonder how the bros managed to haul an entire Karlabos claw around so that Ignis could make this decadent French-inspired dish, considering its enormous size...
Active cooking time: 2 hours. Total cooking time: 2 hours. Serves 2
For the bisque:
1 whole lobster
a good splash of extra-virgin olive oil (who measures olive oil, exactly?)
2-3 tbsp butter (28-42g)
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ carrot, chopped
2-3 sprigs tarragon, stems discarded and leaves chopped
4-5 whole peppercorns
1-2 cilantro sprigs, stems discarded and leaves chopped
1-2 parsley sprigs, stems discarded and leaves chopped
1 cup fish or chicken stock, fish preferred (250mL)
1-2 tsp paprika (2-5g)
pinch of saffron
½ tsp turmeric (1.5g)
1 large bay leaf
2-3 tbsp tomato paste (30-45mL)
⅓ cup double/heavy cream (85mL)
3-4 chives, chopped
additional chopped chives and cilantro/parsley, for garnish
For the lobster meat:
splash of extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp butter (14-28g)
finely chopped chives and coriander/parsley (1-2 sprigs per herb)
This recipe requires a blender or food processor.
The fresher your lobster the better! Of course that might be a bit too pricey for some of us (myself included), so if you’re using a frozen lobster make sure you allow it to defrost before starting!
Begin by first splitting the lobster in half vertically. Roughly chop into 3-4 pieces as this will make the next steps easier. Don’t worry about finesse but try to do this in a baking tray rather than a cutting board so you can use those lobster juices for your bisque later on!
Start boiling some water (not much - about an inch (2.5cm)) in a pot. Once it reaches boiling point, place a metal colander on top and place the lobster inside the colander and cover with tight-fitting lid. Steam the lobster for 2 minutes to partially cook the lobster - lobster cooks very quickly!
Turn off the heat and remove the lobster. Don’t throw any of the water you used for steaming (or any of the white bits that have collected on the colander) since that’s got a lot of the lobster flavour and is the best part of your bisque!
Let the lobster cool until it is safe to handle. Remove the meat from its shell and claws. Set aside on a plate and place in the fridge for later.
Get a large pot, turn the burner on medium heat, and pour in a good splash of olive oil (about enough to cover the bottom of the pot). Next, spoon in the butter. (Lobster is fat-soluble, so don’t skimp out on the butter!).
Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Follow with the celery and carrots. Cook for a further five minutes.
Cut up the lobster shells and claws into large pieces to make it more manageable in your pot, and throw them in (use every last bit of the lobster: it really makes a difference!)
Next, add the tarragon, whole peppercorns, cilantro, and parsley. Cook for around 10 minutes on a medium-high heat, turning the pieces of lobster shell occasionally.
Pour in about 1-1.5 cups (240-360mL) of the lobster cooking water from earlier (the water we used to steam the lobster in step 2) as well as all of the juices from chopping the lobster.
Add the fish stock and the paprika, saffron, turmeric, bay leaf, and tomato paste.
Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then bring to a simmer, with the lid on, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and remove the lobster pieces (slightly tedious, I know, but nobody wants bits of shell in their bisque). Squeeze out the last bit of lobster juice into the pot by pressing down firmly on the lobster pieces in a sieve or on the sides of the pot.
Add the cream to the pot, cooking at a low heat to avoid curdling the cream, until it is just combined.
Next, pour the contents of the pot into a blender or food processor to combine the vegetables with the liquid to create a smooth, thick bisque. (Traditionally, the vegetables were also removed and about half a cup of long-grain rice was cooked in the broth for 30 minutes to make bisque, but this method is much easier and faster in my opinion!)
Strain the bisque into the pot, pressing down well on the strainer/ sieve.You might want to try blending again and then re-straining into the pot.
Allow the bisque to heat up again. Meanwhile, take the lobster meat out from the fridge and chop it up into small, bite-size chunks.
Add the olive oil and butter to a frying pan on a medium heat. Next add the lobster meat and chives, quickly tossing and turning the meat until it turns white (this should take about 2 minutes).
Pour the bisque into your bowls and add the lobster meat on top. Garnish with more chopped herbs. Enjoy!
Creator: kibasdaydreams (Tumblr)
Source: http://kibasdaydreams.tumblr.com/post/167538115454/ffxvs- creamy-bisque