Classic time... Shellfish Bisque with Lobster Tortellini.
A few years back when La Valle Blanche was in full swing, we had this dish on as our alternative soup, we went through so much shellfish that I was going home stinking of the stuff; my girlfriend wasn't best pleased. On a plus note tho, I got to have a bowl every so often for my lunch. I'm always a fan of our top Scottish produce and we got some very special lobster & crabs delivered from Skye 6 days a week. If you can get your hands on anything from the west coast of Scotland, then snap it up straight away as it really is the best about.
Anyway, less of the rambling and more of the cooking... My recipe takes a fair few hours to produce the bisque but don't let it put you off.
Bisque:
1kg Shellfish bones
5 tbl olive oil
1/2tsp fennel seeds
1/2tsp coriander seeds
5 black peppercorn
2 carrots
1/2 fennel
1/2 leek
1 onion
1/2 celery
1 potato
4 tomatoes
1 tbl tomato puree
100ml sherry
300ml white wine
2 ltr fish stock
200ml double cream
50g butter
50ml lemon juice
Pasta dough:
4 eggs
6 egg yolks
550g flour
15ml olive oil
15ml saffron water
Salt
Tortellini filling:
1/2 pasta dough
150g dry pomme puree
40ml reduced shellfish stock (reduced to a paste)
200g chopped lobster meat
2 orange zest
10g chopped tarragon
Bisque:
Roast the Shellfish bones in the oven for 40 mins at 180*c. I use lobster, langoustine & crab bones. In a large heavy bottom pot, brown the carrot, onion, celery, leek & fennel in the olive oil then add the aromats and cook for a few moments. Add the potato, tomato & tomato puree and cook out for another 5 minutes. Add the shellfish bones & the sherry and reduce by half. And the wine and reduce by half then add the fish stock and simmer for 2 hours. Blend everything with a stick blender and pass through a muslin cloth. Place back on to the heat and reduce by half again. The decant and chill. Take 1/5 of the liquid and reduce to a paste so that you can add to the tortellini filling.
To turn the sauce into a soup, add the cream, butter and lemon juice to the stock and bring to the boil. Blend with a stick blender to foam and serve when needed.
Pasta dough:
Mix the eggs, saffron water, oil & salt together until bound and add to the flour. Work either by hand or in a mixer until a crumble stage and kneed for a few moments. Clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.
Tortellini filling:
Mix everything together lightly, check for seasoning and shape the mix into 10g balls.
Tortellini:
Roll out pasta dough until you get to number 2 on the machine and cut with a size 80 circular cutter. If you cover a chopping board in clingfilm and place the circles onto it and clingfilm again then the disc's won't dry out, you'll be able to work quicker this way. Place the 10g ball into the centre of the disc, fold in half pressing all the air out before sealing to create a half moon shape. Fold in half again so the two corners over lap each other and stick them together with a tiny amount of water. Store on a little semolina flour or polenta if your using them within a few hours. If you want them to last a little longer you can blanche them for 1 minute in boiling water and refresh in ice. They can be stored in the freezer for a rainy day also. If your cooking to order then place into salted boiling water for 3min 30sec and place directly into the middle of the dish and top with foamy bisque.
Enjoy!
