National Lobster Day | Lobster Bisque

If you live in Tampa, you know about Bern’s Steakhouse. Hell, if you live elsewhere, maybe even across the globe, you probably know about Bern’s Steakhouse. A Tampa staple, Bern’s has been on the best restaurants and best steakhouses lists from every newspaper and online review that I’ve seen. If it’s not number one, it’s very close to the top. It’s a long and hard road to beat Bern’s.

Obviously, being a steakhouse, they are known for their steak, but to consistently reign supreme on culinary favorites lists, you have to pretty much make everything really great. My go-to meal is the delmonico steak and it comes with french onion soup, onion strings, vegetables, and a salad. There are so substitutes when purchasing one of these meals so my norm used to be to just go with the french onion soup. After all, I love french onion soup so much and they make it so very well.

However, let’s talk about lobster. It is National Lobster Day and that’s why you’re here, right? Although I can’t sub the french onion soup for the lobster bisque at Bern’s, I have just started to pay the $10.00 extra for a bowl of the stuff. Never did I think I could love a soup more than french onion (everyone knows I enjoy french onion so much, I get friends and family asking me where they should go to get some of it, or how it tastes at a particular restaurant).

But the Bern’s Steakhouse Lobster Bisque is out of control. I mean, it has supernatural forces. It’s made of magic. It’s the perfect blend of sherry and cream, lobster and bacon. I can’t even pretend that I can replicate it. What I can do is make my own, and then, be pretty freakin’ pleased with the results.

It’s futile to even attempt the lobster bisque from Bern’s so, if you live in Tampa or just visiting and you have $10 to spare on bisque, this is the place for you (to be honest, the smallest Delmonico steak meal is about $65).

Enjoy National Lobster Day! I know I am.

Print Recipe

Lobster Bisque

Ingredients:

• 2 small lobster tails, meat removed from tail and cut into small cubes
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp parsley
• 6 Tbsp dry sherry
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 tsp vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat.. Add onion and celery, cooking until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and allow to cook until most of the wine is cooked off, about 5 minutes.
2. Add Worcestershire, tabasco, and parsley. Add sherry, paprika, water, and stock.
3. Stir in tomato paste and add bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Whisk in heavy cream and the other 2 tablespoons of butter. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
5. Add lobster meat, removing the bisque from the heat when lobster meat is cooked.