Lobster Squash Bisque

One of my favorite scenes in Annie Hall is when Woody Allen and Diane Keaton prepare lobsters at their beach house in the Hamptons. This soup always makes me think of that scene.


This soup is smooth, sumptuous and rich. The sweetness of the butternut squash pairs well with the lobster. You can get creative with the soup, it has a great base and it’s just begging for interpretation.

Lobster Squash Bisque

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion, diced
6 cups fish stock
2 lobsters
1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
11/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp orange juice concentrate
Salt and Pepper

In a large pan heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic. Add the stock and bring to a boil. While the stock is coming to boil, prepare the lobsters. (I prefer putting them in the freezer for twenty minutes. This numbs them like hypothermia. It seems less painful then driving a knife through their heads. There is less flopping. ) Place the lobsters in the boiling stock and place the lid on the pot. Cook the lobsters for 8 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the broth and let them cool. Add the squash and cook over medium heat until tender. Once the lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the claws and tail and set aside. Add the shells back into the soup, then add the fresh thyme and cream, and simmer for about 20 minutes. After removing the shells use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the soy sauce, orange juice concentrate and season to taste with salt and pepper. This soup can take quite a bit of salt. Dice the cooked lobster meat, divide it among the serving bowls and ladle the hot soup over the lobster meat. Garnish with crème fraiche and croutons.