This mouthwatering recipe for Crock-Pot Lobster Bisque is decadent and creamy yet also easy to prepare. Tender lobster chunks flavors a creamy & rich soup.
Crock-Pot Lobster Bisque
My husband and I have a running joke that whenever one of us asks “what do you want for dinner?” the other answers “Lobster!” and we laugh it off because we NEVER have lobster. It is usually out of our price range. But this Valentine’s Day I thought “why not” let’s go ahead and splurge a little and so I bought a couple of lobster tails and decided to do a nice Crock-Pot Lobster Bisque recipe.
I have had lobster bisque at our favorite “date night” restaurants and it is SO good. Seriously you just wish they would bring the entire pot out so you can eat it by the gallon. And so that is what I was trying to emulate here with this recipe.
And frankly while this is a soup that is going to impress. It is actually quite easy to make. You start with a base of tomatoes, shallots and other aromatics and let it simmer away. Then puree then add the lobster tails and let them cook for just a short time, remove the lobster from the crock-pot and add your cream, chop up your lobster meat and add it back in. And that really is it. You can let the soup base simmer away all day while you are at work and then do the finishing up touches before serving.
What Is Old Bay Seasoning?
This recipe calls for Old Bay Seasoning. This is a popular spice mix used in seafood dishes and contains various spices and seasonings. You can purchase Old Bay Seasoning in many grocery stores however if you cannot find this key ingredient in your local stores, it is also sold on Amazon.
Ingredients Needed:
- Shallots – Milder than a regular onion, shallots are smaller and elongated in shape and should be easily found in the produce section of your grocery store near the onions. If you cannot find shallots you can substitute one small yellow onion in this recipe.
- Garlic – A single clove of fresh garlic is finely minced and gives great flavor to this soup. Whenever possible mince your own garlic for the best flavor possible. But, if you are short on time you can use one teaspoon of pre-minced garlic.
- Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes, with the juice from the can adds great flavor and color to this lobster bisque. Look for canned tomatoes that have no added salt or sugar.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth – Whenever possible I like to use Homemade Chicken Broth that I have made myself in the slow cooker and have frozen. But store bought chicken broth works too. Just make sure it is the low-sodium kind to prevent the dish from being too salty. It is always easier to add more salt to taste than take it away.
- Old Bay Seasoning – A classic American seasoning you should be able to find Old Bay Seasoning in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores (or online). This seasoning blend contains a mixture of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika and pairs wonderfully with seafood dishes.
- Dried Dill – Dried dill weed adds a nice pop of green color to the soup as well as a nice flavor.
- Fresh Parsley – Another ingredient that adds nice color and flavor fresh parsley is a favorite. I like to grow my own on the kitchen windowsill year around. But this is an ingredient that can be found in the produce section of your grocery store. Look for flat-leafed parsley not curly parsley.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Using a pepper mill I always grind my own black pepper for the best flavor possible.
- Ground Paprika – Adding color and flavor, paprika is a great spice to add to this dish.
- Lobster Tails – The star of the recipe, the lobster tails are cooked a bit uniquely in this recipe. First the fan-tip part of the tails are cut off and simmered in the seasoned broth adding some lovely lobster flavor. Then the rest of the lobster tail is cooked in the broth until just done, removed from the slow cooker and the meat chopped up and added back in.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – The best way to get that creamy bisque soup flavor is with some yummy heavy whipping cream. You can make this lighter by using half-and-half. But for real, the best is going to be the heavy whipping cream by far!
Directions:
- Put minced shallots and garlic in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until the shallots are wilted and starting to turn translucent. (You can also cook them in a small skillet if you don’t have a microwave)
- Add shallot and garlic mixture to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Continue adding tomatoes, chicken broth, old bay seasoning, dill, parsley, pepper & paprika to the slow cooker.
- With a sharp knife cut off the fan part of the very end of the lobsters and add those to the slow cooker.
- Stir, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Remove the lobster tail ends and discard.
- Using a blender or immersion blender puree the soup mixture to your desired chunkiness. (I pureed half until smooth and the other half just a light puree.)
- Add the soup back into the crock-pot if you used a regular blender.
- Add your lobster tails to the soup, cover and cook 45 minutes on LOW or until the shells turn red and the lobster meat is cooked.
- Remove lobster tails from the soup and let cool slightly.
- While the lobster is cooling add the cream and stir.
- With a sharp knife cut each lobster tail in half long-ways and remove the lobster flesh from the shells.
- Discard shells and roughly chop lobster meat and add back into the soup.
Products Needed:
- 4 Quart Slow Cooker (Or Larger)
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Can Opener
- Measuring Spoons
- Blender OR Immersion Blender
More fantastic slow cooker soups!
- Crock-Pot Potato & Kielbasa Chowder
- Slow Cooker Cheddar Beer Soup
- Crock-Pot Sausage Cheese Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Zesty Italian Soup
- Crock-Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
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| Servings | 8PeopServingsle |
| Prep Time | 45Minutes |
| Cook Time | 3 - 6Hours |
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Shallots Finely Minced
- 1 Clove Garlic Finely Minced
- 29 Ounces Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes Undrained
- 32 Ounce Low-Sodium Chicken Broth Store Bought Or Homemade Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Dill
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Paprika
- 4 Medium Lobster Tails
- 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
Servings: PeopServingsle
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Ingredients
Servings: PeopServingsle
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Instructions
- Put minced shallots and garlic in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until the shallots are wilted and starting to turn translucent. (You can also cook them in a small skillet if you don't have a microwave)
- Add shallot and garlic mixture to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Continue adding tomatoes, chicken broth, old bay seasoning, dill, parsley, pepper & paprika to the slow cooker.
- With a sharp knife cut off the fan part of the very end of the lobsters and add those to the slow cooker.
- Stir, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Remove the lobster tail ends and discard.
- Using a blender or immersion blender puree the soup mixture to your desired chunkiness. (I pureed half until smooth and the other half just a light puree.)
- Add the soup back into the crock-pot if you used a regular blender.
- Add your lobster tails to the soup, cover and cook 45 minutes on LOW or until the shells turn red and the lobster meat is cooked.
- Remove lobster tails from the soup and let cool slightly.
- While the lobster is cooling add the cream and stir.
- With a sharp knife cut each lobster tail in half long-ways and remove the lobster flesh from the shells.
- Discard shells and roughly chop lobster meat and add back into the soup.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
You may substitute half of a mild onion for the shallots if you cannot find shallots. You may also use less cream or substitute half and half for the cream for less fat.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 272kcal, Total Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 710mg, Potassium: 368mg, Carbohydrates: 12g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 7g, Protein: 13g, Vitamin A: 42%, Vitamin C: 40%, Calcium: 14%, Iron: 9%
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Thank you sooo much for the bisque recipe! I haven’t had it in a long time, but the times that I have it was awesome! I’ll definitely spread the word on your recipe!
Thanks again,
Ben from http://www.crockpotking.com
Thank Ben! I hope you will give this recipe a try! It really is yummy!
Oh my goodness I love Lobster Bisque, and in the crockpot? I can’t wait to make this. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Christi, I hope you are able to give this recipe a try. If you do give it a go please come on back and let us know how it turned out!
Does this freeze well ?
I have not frozen this soup recipe so I am not sure. I would think that the cream might not hold up though.
Making this NOW! Super easy. Can’t wait too eat!! The house smells of LOBSTER BISQUE! YUM!!
Thanks so much for linking your yummy sounding (and looking) recipe to the Dinner Time Recipes linky! I hope that you continue linking your delicious recipes each week. Your post has been pinned by me!
Woot! You have been featured this week at Recipe Sharing Monday! The new link party is up and I’d love to see you back. Have a great week. 🙂
Sounds wonderful. But, I do have a question or two … how large are the lobster tails? One of my local stores carries frozen lobster mean (no shells) … would that work in this … since I won’t have the lobster tail to simmer for hours?
Hi Joan, My apologies for not replying to your questions sooner. I was out of town. My lobster tails were not very big. Maybe about 6 oz. each. And I think you could make this OK with the lobster out of the shell. Simmering the tip of the tails just adds a bit of seafood/lobster taste to your soup. But I am confident that it would be delicious if you skipped that step.
So I had the day off and wanted to make it special. I found this recipe and decided this was the dish that really be a treat. I followed the directions and it turned out spectacular! The bisque was creamy, and full of flavor, and the chunks of lobster meat were divine. I opted to serve buttered rosemary bread with it , which worked well. I plan to make this a few times a year on special occasions. Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Gerry. The rosemary bread sounds divine? Was that store bought or homemade? If homemade I would love the recipe!
when you cook the lobster for 45 minutes,would that be for low setting or high?cant wait to try this,but want to get this right first,thankyou
Hi Carol, thanks for the great question. I have updated the recipe to be a little more clear. It is 45 minutes on low once you add your lobster meat.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Our family LOVES Lobster Bisque! I am making this recipe as our appetizer this Sunday. Can’t wait to try it.
I hope your family enjoys this recipe Maria. Happy Easter!
My hopes were high for an easy delicious lobster bisque and boy did you deliver – and how! I have always made this the hard way, well no more. This was truly amazing and my family loved it. Thank you for a new standard recipe.
Glad to hear that your loved the recipe.
Your bisque was yummy. Now mine came out watery, how do you get it to thicken up? I followed exactly, except I added potato!
Hi Sonia, I am not sure why adding some potato would make your Lobster Bisque runny. Ours ended up being nice and creamy. Not thick like a chowder or cream soup but with a nice smooth texture. If your soup for some reason is watery you might be able to add a little flour slurry and cook for 30 more minutes or so to thicken it up.
I loved the sound of this recipe but due to my weight loss program, I had to lighten it up so here is what I did:
Replaced low sodium chicken broth with Fat free veggie broth
Added I 1/2 c. of cauliflower in the broth while cooking
Replaced heavy whipping cream with fat free half and half
Added 10 large shrimp and three lobster tails (only had three in the freezer so had to supplement.)
Puréed the broth with the cauliflower then added the lobster until cooked, shelled and rough chopped lobster and raw shrimp then added both to the broth until shrimp was cooked through.
The cauliflower adds the creaminess that the fat free half and half can’t give it.
It was spectacular!!! Thanks for the main ingredients this is a keeper at my house. ;0)
Thank you for posting the lower fat version you made. That was a question I was going to ask. I will probably still use chicken stock though.
Oh one last thing….no one new it was fat free. ;0).
Do you think the tomatoes could be substituted? My husband hates tomatoes but I really want to make this!!
Hi Michele, I am not sure if you can substitute or omit the tomatoes. Maybe you can puree/blend it well so that there are no tomato chunks? I don’t know..
I’m not a fan of seafood, but my boyfriend loves lobster, so I am trying this for a special treat for him. Mine also seems a bit watery after blending, and I followed the recipe exactly. I’m trying to reduce the stock by boiling just it in a large pot. Hopefully this works…
Hi! Just saw this and it looks amazing! Quick question though…could I use lobster AND shrimp? If so how would you recommend doing the shrimp? Raw shrimp and throw them in with the tail or pre cooked shrimp? I really want to make this but lobster tails are very expensive where I live so I was hoping to do a half and half.
This looks so yummy! I’d like to try it with crabmeat (the kind you get in containers in the seafood department). Which type would you recommend (Claw, Lump, etc) and how much do you think I should use? Thanks!
I made this a couple nights ago with a few changes and I loved it! The main change is I used canned (I know…) clams instead of lobster and halved the recipe. I subbed a bottle of clam juice for part of the broth. The main thing though is that I didn’t have to modify the seasonings at all-that NEVER happens with any recipe I make. I always have to adjust to taste. This recipe is spot-on for flavor. I also added some parmesan with the cream. I will definitely make this again.
I have made this a few times now. I made it exactly as written. I just wish it was a little thicker. But the taste is wonderful!
Hi! Do you think this would work if I made a big batch and froze it for later? Do you think I would need to make any adjustments before freezing?
I am no so sure about how this would freeze since there is cream in the soup it will probably curdle and not be very appealing once thawed. You might be able to make the soup except for adding the cream then when you heat it up add the cream near the end. The only issue you may have with that is overcooking the lobster. But you could give it a try and let us know!
Hi! This looks delicious. Maybe a stupid question- but do you put the lobster in the bisque raw or already cooked?
Not a stupid question at all Veronica!
You first start cooking the soup with just a very tip (the fan part) of the lobster tail. This just adds lobster flavor to the soup base. You discard those from the soup. And then you add the rest of the meat from the lobster tail (raw) near the end and cook only 45 minutes. If you put lobster in at the beginning it would overcook. It only needs a short cooking time (relatively speaking since we are talking about crock-pot cooking LOL)
Can you use purchased fresh lobster pieces? on slow?
Yes you could.
I apologize if this has been answered already; what are the nutritional values please?
Sorry Sarah, we do not calculate the nutritional values on our recipes. However you are welcome to use one of the many online calculators available on the internet so find out the values yourself.
I made this for my family’s Christmas. We LOVED it! Because of the cost of lobster, I did add in some shrimp also in addition to the lobster tail. This will be a tradition for us during the holidays!! Thank you!
So glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe Madean! The addition of shrimp sounds devine!
This was absolutely wonderful! Easy to make and your whole house smells like a seafood restaurant! Will be making this again very soon!
This looks and sounds delicious. Do you think I could cut the recipe in half? Would all the cooking times stay the same? Thanks
While I have no personally cut this recipe in half I do think it would be OK. I would suggest cutting the time a little bit too. Maybe by and hour or so.