Seafood bisque

Name: Seafood bisque
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1 boiled lobster; 250 g prawn shells; 100 g butter; ½ fennel, sliced; 1 yellow onion, sliced; ¼ celeriac, diced; 2 tomatoes, diced; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 2 tbsp tomato purée, concentrate; 1 tsp cumin seed; 200 ml white wine vinegar; 1 l water; 500 ml whipped cream; ½ lemon; salt and black pepper; 1 tbsp water; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1 tsp vinegar for pickling; 1 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp salt; ½ cucumber, chopped; ½ fennel; 1 shallot; 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped; 50 g butter; 1 tsp lemon juice; salt and black pepper

A seafood bisque is a French soup packed with flavour and made from homemade seafood broth. Rich in taste and creamy in texture, this easy-to-make bisque is guaranteed to bring a taste of elegance to your dinner table. With lobster, it makes for a luxurious starter or main course that will live long in the memory.

Ingredients

Seafood bisque:

Boiled lobster	1
Prawn shells	250 g
Butter	100 g
Fennel, sliced	½
Yellow onion, sliced	1
Celeriac, diced	¼
Tomatoes, diced	2
Garlic cloves, sliced	2
Tomato purée, concentrate	2 tbsp
Cumin seed	1 tsp
White wine vinegar	200 ml
Water	1 l
Whipped cream	500 ml
Lemon	½
Salt and black pepper

Cucumber salad:

Water	1 tbsp
Caster sugar	2 tsp
Vinegar for pickling	1 tsp
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Salt	½ tsp
Cucumber, chopped	½
Fennel	½
Shallot	1
Fresh dill, finely chopped	2 tbsp
Butter	50 g
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Seafood bisque:

Cut the lobster and remove the meat. Cut into smaller pieces and set aside.
Melt half of the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the lobster (and/or prawn) shells for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables, tomato puree and cumin seeds. Fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the white wine vinegar and water and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a further 20 minutes. Strain with a sieve (and cloth if necessary) and boil the broth until about 500 ml remains.
Add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and the remaining butter. Blend the soup using a hand blender and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cucumber salad:

Mix together the water, sugar, vinegar, olive oil and salt into a dressing.
Peel and core the cucumber using a spoon. Thinly slice the cucumber together with the fennel and onion. Mix with the dressing and dill.