Immediate Satisfaction

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: November 2024

Lakeside Restaurant Chef Kevin Turner likes to say that Lobster Bisque is one of those dishes that can’t help but provide
immediate satisfaction.

Indeed, his recipe is a thing of shellfish beauty—rich and velvety on the palate, with a smoky depth that captures and concentrates the flavor of the main ingredient.

More than a dozen years have passed since Turner started cooking—a career path he didn’t foresee when he first enrolled in the forestry program at Western Carolina University. After a stint “pumping out food” in the school cafeteria, he discovered his true calling.

“I went from nature to the kitchen, and it’s been the right path for me,” he shared. His journey took him through the kitchens of several Plateau restaurants before he found his home at Lakeside seven years ago. For the last six, Turner has led the kitchen as head chef, a role in which he’s helped elevate Lakeside to the number two spot on TripAdvisor’s local rankings.

Turner’s lobster bisque, already a popular appetizer, will soon be featured as part of a new entrée special, offering diners another way to savor this richly satisfying dish.

Chef Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner’s Lobster Bisque

Turner highly recommends tasting and adjusting seasoning at every step of the recipe to ensure the fullest, most balanced flavor.

Ingredients

For the Lobster Stock:

3 small lobster tails or 2 large
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion sliced
1 large celery stalk sliced
1 small carrot sliced
1 head garlic cut in half crosswise
2 lemons, sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh tarragon optional
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns

For the Lobster Bisque:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup sherry
1 jar roasted red bell peppers, chopped (liquid reserved)
1 ½ cups half and half
½ cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Make the Lobster Stock

Rinse the tails under cold water. Using kitchen shears, cut the shell down the middle, stopping before the tail fin. Spread the shell apart to expose the meat and remove the meat by sliding your fingers underneath. Remove the dark line – vein from the meat. Coarsely chop lobster meat, then cover and chill. Coarsely chop lobster shells and transfer to medium bowl. Reserve juices from lobster in a bowl.

Heat large pot over medium-high heat. When pot is warm, add olive oil and heat, swirling pot occasionally to coat bottom of pot in oil. When oil is hot and shimmery, add lobster shells. Sauté shells in oil until shells darken, approximately 5 minutes.

Add onion, celery, carrots, lemons, garlic, tarragon, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, 4 cups of water, and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2/12 ups about 15 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, discard the solids, set aside.

Make the Lobster Bisque

In a separate pan, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, red pepper and garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the sherry, roasted red peppers with 1 tablespoon of its liquid, the reserved lobster stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium-low, simmer until reduced to about 2 cups about 10 minutes

Puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Place over medium heat, stir in the half-and-half and cream and bring to a simmer. Add the lobster meat, reserving ¼ cup for garnish. Let the heat from the soup gently cook the meat. Adjust seasoning.

To serve, ladle the bisque into bowls and top with the reserved lobster meat and herbs