Lobster Bisque

Lobster Bisque
feeds 12-16

Lobster tails - 2 XXL or 7-8 small

Immerse lobster tails in boiling water (enough to cover them).  Boil for 8 minutes (or until shell is bright red and meat is tender).  Remove tails from pot and cool completely before extracting the meat.  Reserve 4 c. of the lobster "broth."  

In a large pot, whisk together:
1 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. flour (up to 3/4 if you prefer a thicker bisque)

Add, whisk, and bring to boil:
3-5 T. minced garlic
8 chicken boullion cubes
3 T. chipotle adobo sauce
3 capfuls Zatarain's crab and shrimp boil
2 t. black pepper

Add and heat through:
4 c. broth (reserved from lobster tail boil)
2 quarts heavy cream (8 c.)
1 lb. lump crab meat
1/2 - 1 lb. lobster meat from tails

TIP #1: I have found the smaller tails easier to work with...both in cracking the shell and cleanly removing the meat.

TIP #2: You can substitute milk for the fish broth if 1) you bought pre-cooked lobster meat and don't have any broth!  or 2) you prefer a less fishy taste...in which case, I'm not sure why you would be making a seafood bisque in the first place.

TIP #3: Heavy cream is a tad pricey right now.  You can substitute 4-6 c. with milk; while you will sacrifice the thick, rich, creaminess, it will still taste really good.  If you do this, use the highest-fat milk possible!

TIP #4:  If you like spicy, bump up the chipotle a notch or two.  You won't sacrifice the overall flavor by doing so.