Bisque (food)

Bisque, now serves mainly as Lobster Bisque, was originally a thick, flavorful and rich soup that was cooked from wild fowl. The soup is attributed to the French cuisine, but served in the fine dining world. Today bisques are mostly cooked from lobsters and crabs. Taste and color of a typical Lobster Bisque result primarily from the shells of crustaceans. Bisques are served in soup bowls.

The amount of crustaceans varies greatly depending on the recipe and author. Julia Child used in her 2nd volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipe listed no less than three to four live lobsters for a bisque, which was to serve as a soup of six to eight people. However, they used the meat in the tail, pliers and the liver of the lobster for other lobster dishes. Craig Claiborne, however, used for the same amount, only the shells of three lobsters. The shells are today pulverized in a blender together with broth. Base of the soup is chicken or beef broth mixed with fish stock and white wine. The soup is usually flavored with cognac. The color of the Lobster Bisque is often reinforced by tomato coulis. The soup is bound by rounded taste with rice and cream.