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What color should the Lobster Bisque be?


ChinaShrek
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I know this sounds petty but it came up again and again on my recent cruise. i was on the 10-day Mediterranean Cruise on Westerdam last month and went to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner just once. I ordered the Lobster Bisque and when it arrived it was not the golden red color that I am used to in Maine. It was a dark brown color and tasted differently from the Lobster Bisque that I am used to. I noticed that other people who ordered the bisque had the same color (dark brown, almost black) as mine. I did not complain and did not send it back. However, it did get me thinking.

 

The next night at dinner in the Lido, I started talking to some people and they commented on the weird lobster bisque color as well. In fact, I spoke to four people who sent it back simply because of the color. Two days later, I ran into another gentleman in the casino who commented on the strange lobster bisque color. So, I ask you folks here, what color should lobster bisque be? Should a recipe be forward to HAL or are we wrong?

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Did it taste strongly of the cognac? Maybe they put too much in? I would have sent it back if it was dark/almost black. I've sent back a dish in MDR: it was an Indian curry dish for lunch. They forgot to put in any curry! LOL. I sent it back (nicely, not being rude of course), and later that day management called my stateroom to apologize, and offered me a complimentary bottle of wine. Mistakes happen, but I was impressed how they did that.

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How did it taste?

 

I am not sure, unless you are a chef, that you can say there is only one recipe to make it, or one color it should be. A quick Google search show pics anywhere from a creamy white with just a hint of pink, to solid red, with many shades in between. I didn't see a brown color.

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My lobster bisque that I make at home is typically reddish in colour, but I don't add cognac to it normally.

 

I tried doing that once and it really changed the colour.

 

It sounds like they added too much of something perhaps? And different lobsters? Not all lobsters make red bisque - it depends upon where they come from.

 

Being Maritimers ours are more red, but I once had a darker colour - it was still delish.

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I found the same thing on our Zuiderdam cruise two years ago, in the Pinnacle Grill. It didn't take so hot, either. I don't know what they did to it, but I wish they would stop it. Brown is not a color I have associated with either a lobster or crab bisque.

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The Pinnacle Grill's Lobster Bisque does taste and look different than what I have eaten in the MDR or in other restaurants. My most recent experience, the Bisque was a light off-shade red. I don't care for its taste and prefer ordering a different appetizer when I visit the PG.

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Bisque D'Homard can be brown(ish), and some Michelin star restaurant versions are.

It depends on several things.

One is the stock used. (One should use the heads of the lobster to make a great stock.)

the vegetables used can change the colour. The more tomato, the more red, but tomato should be used in moderation.

The use of Cognac will make the bisque darker.

And finally, the amount of cream used will also change the colour.

 

A dark bisque is not necessarily a bad bisque.

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Having lived in Maine for years, I've had my fair share of lobster bisque. Anywhere from a creamy reddish orange to brown is normal. Don't sweat it. :)

 

When they had lobster bisque on the menu at the White Barn restaurant in Maine, it was pretty brown. And delicious. The White Barn has a AAA 5 diamond rating and 5 Mobil/Forbes stars. It's the highest rated restaurant north of Boston.

 

If the recipe has less cream, you typically wind up with a dark soup.

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This is what I expect it to look like. Mine made at home looks almost exactly like this too!

 

This particular one is from the Steakhouse on the Carnival Legend. And yes, it was awesome!

 

P1000696-L.jpg

 

I have had Lobster Bisque in two of the Steakhouses on Carnival ships. The Bisque did not look like the photo you posted. But, it did taste much better--more "lobstery"--than the PG's rendition of the Bisque.

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Having lived in Maine for years, I've had my fair share of lobster bisque. Anywhere from a creamy reddish orange to brown is normal. Don't sweat it. :)

 

When they had lobster bisque on the menu at the White Barn restaurant in Maine, it was pretty brown. And delicious. The White Barn has a AAA 5 diamond rating and 5 Mobil/Forbes stars. It's the highest rated restaurant north of Boston.

 

If the recipe has less cream, you typically wind up with a dark soup.

 

This is what I wanted to know. I guess lobster bisque can vary a great deal and still be fine.

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Bisque D'Homard can be brown(ish), and some Michelin star restaurant versions are.

It depends on several things.

One is the stock used. (One should use the heads of the lobster to make a great stock.)

the vegetables used can change the colour. The more tomato, the more red, but tomato should be used in moderation.

The use of Cognac will make the bisque darker.

And finally, the amount of cream used will also change the colour.

 

A dark bisque is not necessarily a bad bisque.

 

No matter what the colour the bisque is in the MDR it doesn't even taste good. Ordered it once - never again.

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If HAL is making the stock for the bisque, the lobster shells may be being browned (roasted) before being added to make the stock. This will cause the stock to have a brown color and a richer flavor.

 

The addition of sherry will also make the bisque brown.

 

It might just be that HAL's lobster bisque is one that is actually properly prepared.

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Well . . . yes, as long as it tastes fine! The PG's did not. Or perhaps my taste buds were prejudiced by the color.

 

 

It REALLY is true we eat with our eyes, first,, at least it is true for me If I dontt like the look of something served to me, I know I won't like the taste. :o

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I tried the lobster bisque on my first HAL cruise in 2001, and have never ordered it since. I found it to be vile tasting :evilsmile: and not attractive to look at. One of the few dishes on HAL I don't care for.

 

Roz

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This is what I wanted to know. I guess lobster bisque can vary a great deal and still be fine.

Yes. Huge amount of variation. The PG's version runs more towards the French style. I really haven't met a lobster bisque I didn't like. ;) Sometimes you'll see something more akin to lobster stew being passed off as bisque.

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This is what I expect it to look like. Mine made at home looks almost exactly like this too!

 

This particular one is from the Steakhouse on the Carnival Legend. And yes, it was awesome!

 

P1000696-L.jpg

 

Love Carnival's Steakhouse! Their Lobster Bisque is great and the Escargot is excellent, too!

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I've assumed there is some sort of dark roux involved in the preparation of some of these lobster bisques, which would account for a darker color.

 

Personally, I'm partial to my mom's recipe, which is pretty pink and plenty creamy. I quit ordering ship lobster bisques a long time ago, They always seem to have too much flour thickener and too little lobster involved.

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