I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. NOTHING can cook a soup like an Instant Pot. It cooks WAY faster than the stove and infuses SO much more flavor since no steam is escaping during the cooking process.
There are also tons of different families in the soup world: creamy or clear; rich or light; hearty or thin. No matter which you go with, you’ll never go wrong. But there really is nothing like a super rich, creamy soup with a premium ingredient so much of us love. How’s about a little lobster, eh?
And as the summer begins to wind down, I just had to make this UNREAL Lobster Bisque to not only show you how unbelievably premium it is, but also how ridiculously QUICK and EASY it is to make.
Who knew that making such a fancy tasting soup would take no time at all? Just don’t tell anyone lucky enough you serve it to what a snap it is. Make them think you worked on this one all day – because that’s how it tastes!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Well, it wouldn’t be Lobster Bisque without some lobster meat! Prepare some and set aside.
Then, take a large shallot…
…and dice it up.
Take the lower (crunchier/whiter) part of three strands of scallions…
…and slice them up and add to the shallots.
Next, add melt some butter in the Instant Pot…
…and add the shallots and scallions so they cook for a few moments…
…and then toss in a little garlic and cook for a few moments.
Add some dry white wine and deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot.
Bring to a bubble…
…and then add some Worcestershire sauce…
…some (optional) Tabasco…
…some Old Bay seasoning…
…and dried thyme.
Mix it up together real good.
Now we’ll add in some cooking sherry…
…and bring to a bubble deglazing our pan again.
Time to add a little paprika…
and some LOBSTER Better Than Bouillon mixed with some water. (You know how much I love my Better Than Bouillon!)
Add it to the pot…
…along with some tomato paste.
Stir everything really well until the tomato paste melds into the broth and it becomes very thick.
Toss in a few bay leaved, secure the lid and cook on high pressure. The pot will come to pressure in record time!
Once the base is done cooking, add some butter…
…and stir it until it melts into the base.
And then add the heavy cream…
…and mix well. This is the ingredient that brings all the flavors (and consistency) together so magically!
Time to add in that delicious lobster meat…
…give it a quick stir for a few moments…
…and then serve it up…
…into one lucky bowl.
Feel free to add a few oyster crackers and/or parsley on top for a final garnish and just like that, you’re a chef to rival any other.
Instant Pot Lobster Bisque
If you love a silky, creamy, tomato-y Lobster Bisque worthy of a 5-star gourmet experience with minimal work, prepare to fall in love.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound – 1 pound of lobster meat, chopped into small chunks
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter, divided
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 strands of scallions, sliced (use the lower, whiter crunchier part of the scallion)
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 1/4 cup of a dry white wine
- 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp – 2 tsp of Tabasco sauce (use less for less zest and more for a little more intensity – or don’t use any at all if you don’t like a hint of spiciness)
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning
- 1/3 cup of cooking sherry
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 6 oz can of tomato paste (use 3/4 of the can)
- 1 cup of Lobster Broth (use 1/2 tbsp of Lobster Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup of water)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pint (2 cups) of heavy cream
- Oyster crackers, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the lobster meat in one of three ways (A. Boiling two 1 1/4 pound lobsters on the stove for 10 minutes; B. Steaming a lobster tail in your Instant Pot like I did in my Lobster Roll recipe; C. Buying canned lobster meat from a seafood market that carries it). Chop up the meat and set aside when done
- Turn the Instant Pot on “Sauté” and Adjust” so it’s on “High” or “More” and melt 1 tbsp of the butter and then add the shallots, scallions and garlic and cook for about a minute
- Add in the white wine and deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon/spatula to remove any remnants that may have stuck to it.
- When the wine bubbles (which will be quickly), add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco (if using), thyme and Old Bay and cook for another minute
- Add the sherry and once it bubbles, add in the lobster broth and paprika
- Once that bubbles, add in the tomato paste and stir until it melds into the liquid and it becomes a smooth, thick sauce. Do a final scraping of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon/spatula and once it bubbles, add the bay leaves and secure the lid.
- Hit “Cancel” and then “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set for 2 minutes on High Pressure. The pin will very likely pop up within seconds. Follow with a quick release when done
- When the lid is off, hit “Sauté” and Adjust” so it’s on “Medium” or “Normal”. Add the rest of the butter and stir it in until it melts, then add in the heavy cream and stir until it’s all blended together.
- Lastly, add in the lobster meat and immediately hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and then keep it on the warm setting. We don’t want out lobster meat overcooking so make sure the bubbling of the soup dies down just before adding it in
- Serve in some bowls and top with some oyster crackers
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
Don’t feel like prepping the lobster ahead of time? If you use fresh lobster tails (like from Costco), cut the raw meat up into small chunks and set aside. When you add the meat in during the final step, let it cook from the heat of the soup for a few minutes (about 2-3) as it simmers. Inspect/taste a few pieces to make sure its done!
Lobster a bit more than you want to pay for it? You can use clams or crab meat instead! Just make sure you still use the Lobster Base!
If you don’t want any spiciness in your bisque AT ALL (even though the way it is in the recipe won’t make it very spicy as is), don’t add the Tabasco or the Old Bay).
Lo
How many people does you lobster bisque recipe feed?
Jeffrey
4-6
Julie
Hi
Just tried your Borscht which tasted excellent and was healthy. Then yesterday cooked the lobster bisque. I used 1 lobster -the lobster base and the fake lobster filler. Was deliscous but wont be repeating too soon as hubby cleaned out the pot. Lucky it was a main course and even though only used 1.5cups of cream we wacked on the calories. I will look at a half cream substitute next time or serve up one bowl and hide the rest. keep well
Sandrine
I have made this twice. SOOO SOOO Good! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe
Maria
I have made this recipe and my husband loves it! He wants me to make it as one of the courses for Thanksgiving. Do you think it’s doable to make a double batch in a 6qt Instant Pot? Thanks!
Trombley Sigrid
Would suggest using an inexpensive dry Sherry and NOT cooking Sherry. Cooking Sherry has salt in it and is awful. Come on Jeffrey, you know better I think.
Peggy
Is there anything that can be substituted for the cooking sherry?
Jeffrey
More broth
Maureen
Can I substitute shrimp for lobster,crab or clams?
Jeffrey
Sure!
Denise
Need to double this. Do you think it will fit in an 8qt pot?
Jeffrey
Yup! Even in a 6-qt
Sigrid Trombley
May I ask how much did this bisque cost to make?
Jeffrey
All depends on the market you go to for your ingredients. The cost is less than a restautant’s given how much it makes and is often tastier than most too!