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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes

    Lobster Mushroom Bisque

    Published: Mar 21, 2013 Modified: Feb 8, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Creamy, smooth and rich, dried lobster mushroom bisque is a great thing to make with your dried mushrooms.

    mushroom soup in a bowl
    Lobster mushroom bisque has a brilliant orange color.

    I like to make this in the winter when I'm using up my foraging stash from the growing season, but you can make it with dried or fresh lobster mushrooms. Dried mushrooms will have a stronger flavor.

    A jar of dried lobster mushrooms
    I like to keep a gallon jar around for the winter.

    Lobster mushrooms (Hypomyces lactiflourum) have a mild taste fresh that concentrates when dried, revealing their subtle shellfish aroma. That said, don't expect a bisque made with dried mushrooms to be as potent as true lobster bisque. What you get is a creamy, rich, dried mushroom soup with the subtle taste of lobster mushrooms.

    A close up of orange soup in a bowl showing bubbles
    The finished soup should be velvety smooth.

    Stock

    The most important thing for a good bisque is the stock. Ideally you'll use homemade chicken stock here.

    If you want to keep it vegetarian, vegetable stock will work, but homemade will be better than store-bought. I also don't add carrots to the stock I use in my bisques, which can make it sweet. It's easy to make, all you need are some white onion, carrot, celery, leeks bay leaf, and rice.

    Step-by-Step

    sweating onion, celery and leek in oil
    Sweat the garlic, leek, onion and celery until soft.
    adding rice to a pot of celery, onion and leek
    Add the rice.
    sweating vegetables with tomato paste and paprika
    Cook for a few minutes, then add the sherry.
    adding dried mushrooms to a pot of soup
    Add the dried mushrooms.
    adding stock to a pot of soup
    Add the chicken stock or other stock and simmer.
    A blender full of orange mushroom soup
    Puree until very smooth.

    General Tips

    • A traditional bisque is thickened with rice. Just like roux-based soups, if you leave it uncovered for a period of time it may form a skin. Whisk it to break up lumps or puree with a hand blender before serving if you see lumps.
    • Garnishing is fun-be creative. Here I use some extra dried lobster mushrooms I've rehydrated and cooked crisp, along with croutons fried in butter.
    • If you have some herbs they'll help to add depth here. A few leaves of torn basil, a scattering of chives, a few chopped leaves of tarragon added to the bowl at the end will bring it up a notch.

    More Lobster Mushroom Recipes

    Lobster Mushroom Cakes

    Ratatouille with Mushrooms

    Braised Lobster Mushrooms with Tomato and Leek

    mushroom soup in a bowl
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Lobster Mushroom Bisque

    A rich mushroom bisque made with dried lobster mushrooms, stock, vegetables and rice.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Lobster Mushrooms
    Servings: 6 Servings
    Calories: 461kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 10

    Equipment

    • 1 Blender
    • 1 3 quart sauce pot or a medium to large pot for soup
    • 1 Chinois strainer or fine sieve optional

    Ingredients

    Bisque

    • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
    • ½ cup dry sherry or white wine in a pinch
    • 4 oz (¾ cup) Celery diced
    • 4 oz (¾ cup) Onion diced
    • 4 oz (¾ cup) Leek diced
    • 2 large cloves garlic or 1 tablespoon chopped
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 dried bay leaf
    • 5 cups of chicken stock preferably homemade
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ⅓ cup long grain rice
    • 2 oz dried Lobster Mushrooms
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Hot sauce like tobasco, to taste

    Serving (optional)

      Lobster mushroom garnish

      • ½ oz dried lobster mushrooms
      • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
      • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
      • Fresh herbs such as chives or sliced fresh basil
      • A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

      Fried croutons

      • 4 oz 1 cup small cubes of bread for croutons
      • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

      Instructions

      Bisque

      • Grind the dried mushrooms to a coarse powder in a spice grinder.
      • Melt the butter in a 3 quart sauce pot on medium high heat. Sweat the garlic, leek, onion and celery in the butter for 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add a generous pinch of salt (¼ teaspoon).
      • Add the paprika and tomato paste, stir, and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Add the rice and dried lobster mushrooms, along with the sherry. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sherry is gone and the pan is nearly dry.
      • Add the stock, hot sauce and dried thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes on low heat.
      • Discard the bay leaves.
      • Add the cream.

      Pureeing

      • Working in batches if needed, carefully puree / blend until smooth. You can use an immersion blender, or a regular blender.
      • Add the cold butter to the blender while it purees. Adding butter while the soup purees lowers the friction of the blades and makes the soup extra smooth. For the most smoothest texture, pass it though a fine strainer or chinois after.
      • Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer (optional)
      • Double check the seasoning for salt and spiciness (it should be mild) adjust until it tastes good to you, and serve with hot croutons fried in butter. See notes to serve as pictured with a few optional garnishes.

      Notes

      To serve as pictured

      To serve the soup as pictured, rehydrate the ½ oz of dried lobster mushrooms in water for 10 minutes, then drain. Slice the mushrooms into a thin julienne, pat dry, and cook gently in the oil until they start to crisp. Season the mushroom julienne with salt and reserve.
      Ladle the hot soup into preheated bowls. Place the mushroom julienne in the center of the bowl with a scattering of hot croutons. Garnish with the chopped herbs and a thread of extra virgin olive oil, and serve.

      Vegan Lobster Mushroom Bisque 

      You can substitute coconut milk for the cream, and vegetable stock for the chicken stock. Make sure to add some herbs at the end to pump up the flavor. 

      Nutrition

      Serving: 8oz | Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 557mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1545IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
      « Venison Tenderloins "en Colère"
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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Barry Cox

        September 06, 2016 at 6:41 pm

        Can you freeze fresh lobster mushroom?

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          September 07, 2016 at 2:22 pm

          Technically yes, but they're not the same, since freezing changes the way that the mushroom holds water. Make sure to cook them first if you want to try freezing them. Making a duxelles and freezing it is just fine.

          Reply
        • Olga

          August 23, 2021 at 10:14 am

          Chef, can you use fresh lobster mushroom for this? How much would you use? 1/2 lbs? 1 lbs?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            October 05, 2021 at 9:27 am

            Start with 1/2 lb

            Reply
      2. Bill Gould

        October 11, 2022 at 1:07 pm

        5 stars
        Use lobster stock in place of chicken stock.

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          October 11, 2022 at 1:17 pm

          That's a nice idea, but most people don't have that.

          Reply

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      Chef Alan Bergo

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