Macro Friendly Crab & Lobster Bisque

SERVING SIZE: 300g

YIELDS: 14 servings

– 28g butter
– 15g all purpose flour
– 1 12 oz can tomato paste
– 12 cups water
– 7 raw lobster tails (makes about 350g cooked lobster meat)
– 90g red bell pepper, finely chopped
– 2 cups seafood stock
– 1 cup white cooking wine
– 150g carrots, chopped
– 100g celery, chopped
– 64g onion, chopped
– 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
– 1/2 tbsp thyme
– 2 tsp parsley
– 1/2 tbsp paprika
– 2 bay leaves
– dash cayenne
– salt & pepper to taste
– 32g cornstarch
– 16 oz ready-to-eat jumbo lump crab meat
– 120g heavy whipping cream

1. Add 12 cups of water to a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Carefully place 7 lobster tails in pot, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping lobsters over half-way through.
3. Remove lobster tails and set aside to cool. We will be using the water that the lobsters were cooked in as the base of our soup stock.
4. Add 2 cups seafood stock and 1 cup cooking wine to the stock pot.
5. Add thyme, bay leaves, and and paprika to the stock pot and continue to simmer on low.
6. Once lobsters are cooled, remove meat from the shell. Tip: use scissors to cut down the middle of the lobster. You can also cut off any sharp edges of the lobster tail so you don’t hurt yourself. This can be a little tricky, but have patience — it’s worth it! Set lobster meat aside.
7. Chop lobster meat into bite sized pieces.
8. Place lobster shells back into stock pot and continue to simmer.
9. In a separate large pan, add 2 tbsp butter and minced garlic. Stir over low heat for a minute.
10. Add onions, celery, carrots and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Add flour and stir into veggies for about 2 minutes (this will help thicken the bisque).
12. Add tomato paste and about 1 cup of homemade lobster stock.
13. Using an immersion blender, puree veggies and tomato paste together in the pan (after turning off heat!). If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor; just make sure to only process a little at a time and use a lid with an opening.
14. Remove lobster shells from homemade lobster stock and strain the stock to remove any bay leaves, large pieces etc. Then pour strained stock back into the same large pot. Continue to simmer.
15. Pour contents of purred veggies pan into lobster stock pot and stir.
16. Dissolve cornstarch into about 1 cup of lobster stock, then pour back into the lobster stock pot (helps thicken). Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
17. Add crab meat and heavy cream. Stir and continue to simmer as soup thickens.
18. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne (optional) to taste.
19. Add cooked lobster meat right before serving (so it doesn’t over-cook) and enjoy! Garnish with parsley or thyme.