Lobster Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of lobster in a vegetable and stock base flavoured with sherry, Harvey's sauce and anchovy essence. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Lobster Soup.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Lobster Soup that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 169.—Lobster Soup.
First, cut up very small the following ingredients : viz.,—a carrot, onion, celery, four shalots, bay-leaf, and thyme, and some parsley; fry these in a stewpan with a piece of butter until they are lightly browned; then add six ounces of flour, mix well; moisten with three pints of good stock (or water if for meagre soup); stir over the fire, and when it boils, set it by the side to simmer gently for half an hour : while this part of the preparations is going on, break up a fresh cooked hen lobster; remove the meat from the tail and claws, and cut this into neat square pieces, to be kept in reserve; all the remainder of the lobster and shell, together with a little spawn, must be well bruised in a mortar, and stirred into the soup as it boils; and five minutes after let the whole be rubbed through a tammy, poured into a soup-pot, made hot, and skimmed; seasoned with a glass of sherry, a little Harvey, lemon-juice, anchovy, and cayenne; and poured into the soup-tureen already containing the cut-up lobster, and some small quenelles.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 carrot, scraped and finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 head of celery, finely diced
4 shallots, finely diced
1 bayleaf
1 sprig of thyme
6 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp butter
180g plain flour
1.8l stock (or water)
1 hen lobster, cooked
150ml sherry
2 tsp Harvey's sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy essence
cayenne pepper, to taste
12 small quenelles
Method:
Melt the butter in a pan, add the carrot, onion, celery, shallots, bayleaf, thyme and parsley and fry gently until the vegetables are lightly browned (about 8 minutes). Scatter the flour over the top and mix in to form a roux. Now beat in the stock with a spoon until smooth and slowly bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. In the meantime, take the hen lobster and break open the tail and claws. Remove all the meat and cut into neat dice then set aside. Place the shell and the remaining lobster in a mortar and bruise thoroughly. Add to the soup, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes then rub the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve.
Pour the liquid into a clean pan, skim the surface then add the sherry and season with the Harvey's sauce, lemon juice, anchovy essence and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer then pour into a warmed soup tureen (which should already contain the quenelles and the cubed lobster meat). Serve immediately.
