Corn and Lobster Bisque

Hope you enjoyed my first how-to video!

A few days ago I made Texas Ranch-Style Stew and said that it was perfect for a cold winter night. I was wrong. THIS is perfect for a cold winter night!! Here are some pictures from tonight:

 Raw Lobster Tails

 Mmmmm yummy lobster meat...

Finished product - delicious!!

My husband and I went out to eat for New Years Eve last weekend and we both had Lobster Bisque as a starter. It was the first time I had ever had Lobster Bisque and I was blown away! It was so good! It inspired me to make it myself.

I did a good bit of research online and through books and magazines looking at various recipes for the dish and decided on an Emeril Lagasse recipe from Food Network. It ended up slightly different from what we had last weekend, but it was still absolutely delicious! I was worried I would be disappointed in how it turned out compared to what we had last weekend, but that was not the case at all. I would say this was a great success!

Sometimes when I'm cooking, I'll do the chopping, slicing, etc as I go through the cooking process. This recipe is one where you definitely need to get all of your prep work done before you start cooking. Go ahead and prepare your onions, corn, shallots, celery and garlic before you start anything on the stove and you'll be happy you did. Also, quick side note, for the fish stock, I got Kitchen Basics Seafood Cooking Stock.

This recipe had many excellent reviews online, but there was one suggestion that several people gave that I decided to follow. Several reviewers suggested lessening the amount of cayenne and crab boil that the recipe calls for you to add. They said that while the bisque was good, the heat was a little more than they could handle and took away from the overall flavor. I decided to add just 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and just 3/4 teaspoon crab boil (which in case you didn't know, is a spice). I'd say those were perfect amounts of each! The bisque had a really nice kick to it, but it wasn't overpowering. It was a different kind of heat. It was more a heat that you could feel in the back of your throat, rather than upfront as if you had eaten a jalapeno. I've never been big on hot foods, but I've been trying to learn how to appreciate the flavor in hot/spicy. I really loved the heat that was in this bisque! It was perfect and delicious!

The recipe calls for 1/2 pound cooked lobster meat. I bought two 4 ounce lobster tails (as you can see from the video) and used that meat. I just diced up the meat and tossed it in the skillet with a little bit of butter to cook the meat before I added it to the main pot of bisque. Very simple and quick process!

I altered one other ingredient. The recipe calls for 2 cups heavy cream. That is a lot of heavy cream for a dish that serves 4 people. That one ingredient alone adds 400 calories PER serving! I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So instead I used fat-free half and half, which significantly reduced the calories per serving (2 tbsp of heavy cream has 100 calories, while 2 tbsp of fat-free half and half only has 20 calories). I was a little concerned that making this change would compromise the flavor and texture of the bisque, but I don't think it did. I was greatly impressed with the flavor, and the only thing that may have been different from making this change is that the bisque may have turned out a little thinner than it would have otherwise. I'll still keep this change next time I make this recipe!

It takes some time from beginning to end, but SO worth it! There was so much flavor in every bite - I was really impressed! The amount of heat was perfect, the lobster was plump and delicious, and the flavor combination of all of the ingredients was delectable! Enjoy!

Corn and Lobster Bisque

Food Network

Prep time: 15 minutes  Cook time: 50 minutes  Yield: 4-6 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup minced yellow onions

1 cup corn kernels

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons minced celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup fish stock or water

2 bay leaves

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon crab boil, optional (recommended: Zatarain's Concentrated Crab and Shrimp Boil)

1/2 pound cooked lobster meat, diced (from a 1 1/2 pound lobster)

1/4 cup minced green onions (green part only)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until blended. Continue stirring to make a light brown roux, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the onions, corn, shallots, celery, garlic, salt and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 4 minutes. Slowly stir in the stock. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the milk, cream, and the crab boil, if using. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the lobster meat and green onions and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

4. Ladle into shallow soup cups or bowls and serve hot.