Lobster Bisque Shooters

Save and roast lobster shells for maximum flavor. Strain bisque multiple times for silky texture. Can be made 2 days ahead and reheated gently. Keep warm in slow cooker for serving.

Bisque is a classic French cream soup most traditionally made from crustaceans — lobster, crab, shrimp, or crayfish — with a specifically French technique of roasting the shells, deglazing with wine and cognac, then simmering to extract maximum flavor before straining and enriching with cream. The word bisque has uncertain etymology; the most widely cited theory connects it to the Bay of Biscay (Biscaye in French), a region between France and Spain known for its seafood, though other derivations have been proposed. The preparation appears in French culinary texts from the 17th century, with a bisque d'écrevisses (crayfish bisque) documented in La Varenne's Le Cuisinier François (1651). Lobster bisque became the standard form in French haute cuisine through the 19th century. The shooter format — hot bisque served in small shot glasses or espresso cups as a passed hors d'oeuvre — is a product of modern restaurant catering technique, developed in the 1990s and 2000s as chefs found ways to translate composed plated dishes into handheld party servings. The format transforms an intensely flavored, elegant preparation into a concentrated single sip — one swallow that delivers the full aromatic experience of a bowl of bisque.