Grilled lobster bisque

• 4 live lobsters
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek (1 cup) white part , thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced
• 3 Nantes carrots, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup of Belgian-style strong blond beer
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 237ml 15% country-style cream

• In a large saucepan filled with boiling salted water, cook the lobsters for 8 minutes. Place the lobsters in a colander and drain for 10 min. Very important to keep the cooking water of the lobsters !!!
• Preheat the BBQ to maximum power then reduce to medium intensity.
• Cut the lobsters in half lengthwise and brush the flesh with melted butter. Place on the grills, flesh down, and cook for 2 minutes. Rotate 45 degrees and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Flip the lobsters and grill for 2 to 4 minutes or until the shells are well coloured. Remove meat from shells, chop coarsely and set aside. Keep the shells !
• In a very large saucepan heated over medium heat, add about 3 tablespoons olive oil followed by leeks, celery, carrots, garlic and tarragon then salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring, to caramelize well. Add oil as needed.
• Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste. Mix well to coat vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the white wine and beer then scrape thoroughly to get all the flavours!
• Add thyme, bay leaf, smoked paprika, chicken broth and lobster shells. Then add cooking water from the lobsters, enough to cover the whole thing. Season with salt and pepper and mix.
• Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Filter several times using a fine filter and set aside in a large saucepan.
• In a small saucepan heated over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir to form a roux and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add cream and 1/2 cup of lobster broth then mix well to dissolve the flour. Pour into the large sauce pan and stir. Bring to a boil and close the heat. Add the lobster meat and serve immediately !

NOTE: The step of grilling lobsters on the BBQ is optional, but it makes all the difference, in my opinion. You can probably get a similar result by grilling the broiler lobsters (BROIL) in the oven, but I have not tested it. 🙂