Before “gourmet burgers” were on every corner, there was Hamburger Hamlet. Founded in 1950 on the Sunset Strip, this was the place where Hollywood royalty went for comfort food in a high-end setting. Today on Forgotten Cookbooks, we’re taking a trip back to vintage Los Angeles to celebrate the legacy of Harry and Marilyn Lewis. I’m sharing a personal family favorite from my childhood in the San Fernando Valley: their legendary Lobster Bisque. Is this copycat recipe as amazing as the original? Let’s find out.

Below are the recipes and products we featured in the video. By opening the video on YouTube, you further help support us. Click here to open in YouTube.

Hamburger Hamlet Copycat Lobster Bisque Soup SERVES 6

1 1/2 pounds, live Maine lobster, preferably female OR substitute 1 1/2 pounds lobster tails in shells *NOTE: Tails will cook in less time than whole lobster. 1 pound, raw medium shrimp, in their shells salt as needed (preferably Kosher salt) 12 white peppercorns 2+ tablespoons, sweet (unsalted) butter 1 medium, onion – chopped 1 medium, carrot (or 1/2 cup) – sliced 1 stalk, celery (or 1/2 cup) – sliced 1 1/2 teaspoons, lemon zest – about one lemon several fresh thyme sprigs 6 tablespoons, long-grain white rice 1 cup, dry white wine 1/2 cup, dry sherry 1 cup, heavy cream 1 cup, chicken broth 4 tablespoons, tomato paste 1/4 teaspoon, cayenne pepper Baguette (long, skinny loaf of French bread) Peeled garlic cloves (for rubbing flavor on baguette slices)

THE FIRST DAY: COOKING THE LOBSTER In a wide pot with a lid, bring to a rapid boil: 8 cups water 2 teaspoons kosher salt Pop into the water headfirst: 1 1/2-pound live Maine lobster (cut bands off the claws first) [OR add lobster tails as noted above. If tails are used, split each lengthwise through the center, cutting the shell in half along with the meat. It will take about 5 minutes to cook lobster tails through in simmering water.] Cover and set the timer for 11 minutes, no more. Adjust the heat under the pot as soon as the water has returned to a boil, so that the water simmers gently – do not boil vigorously! The total cooking time after the water returns to the boil should be about 8 or 9 minutes. Set the lobster aside on a ridged pan to collect any juices for the lobster broth we will do next. Remove and refrigerate the lobster tail meat, and reserve it for the final garnish. If you’re smart, you will twist off the claws and eat the warm meat yourself right now. In any case, remove the meat from the claws and all other parts of the lobster, reserving all pieces of the lobster shell for the broth. (Only the tail meat will be needed for the Lobster Bisque; meat from the claws and any other meat may be eaten by the chef or reserved for another purpose.) MAKING THE LOBSTER STOCK Strain the water you used for cooking the lobster into a large, covered pot or Dutch oven. There should be 6 cups. Peel, de-vein, and save all the shells of: 1-pound, medium shrimp Reserve the shrimp meat, and set it aside. Throw the empty shrimp shells into the lobster water with: 12 white peppercorns a few sprigs of fresh thyme the empty lobster shell pieces Bring to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes. The pot is covered because we don’t want the broth to reduce by evaporation. Strain the lobster stock through a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth into a large bowl or another pot. Set aside the lobster stock. Discard the lobster and shrimp shells. Wipe out the Dutch oven with a paper towel. Add to the clean Dutch oven, over medium heat: 2 tablespoons, sweet butter Sauté the reserved raw shrimp in the melted butter for about 4 minutes over medium heat, turning often, until pink. Set aside the cooked shrimp. You will notice the brown “fond” from the shrimp will be on the bottom of the pot. Do not scrape it away, it is full of good flavors. Just leave it for now. *NOTE: This is where you can stop and refrigerate everything until tomorrow, if you prefer. Or continue to the end of the recipe. THE SECOND DAY: FINISHING THE SOUP Using the same pot (the one with the shrimp “fond”) over medium-low heat, melt in the pot, 1 tablespoon, sweet butter Then add: 1 medium, yellow onion – diced 1/2 cup, sliced carrot 1/2 cup, sliced celery a few more sprigs of fresh thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons, grated fresh lemon zest (yellow only, no white pith) Sauté all ingredients over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes, until tender. Add to the vegetables in the pan: 1 cup, dry white wine 1/2 cup, dry sherry 4 tablespoons, tomato paste (I like the refrigerated tubes, which are very convenient and there is no waste.) Bring it to a boil for about 2 minutes to burn off the raw taste of the alcohol. While the liquid is boiling, scrape the brown “fond” from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon and mix all its goodness into the lovely liquid that will emerge. Then add all the reserved lobster and shrimp stock (the “Lobster Stock”) and: 1 cup, heavy cream 1 cup, chicken broth 6 tablespoons, raw long-grain white rice Cover the pot and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Now, take the reserved cooked shrimp and the above stock mixture, and off we will go to the blender. [This is the tedious part. It takes a little time and effort. If you have a friend that you can bribe with a lobster claw, you can take turns.] Combine some of the lobster-vegetable-rice soup with some of the shrimp, filling the blender jar only halfway. Puree the mixture until the texture is as smooth as possible. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a clean pot, and pour the pureed mixture through the strainer into the pot. Continue to puree the soup mixture with the shrimp in several small batches and pour each batch through the strainer and into the fresh clean pot. Using a big rubber spatula, push, push, push, (scraping the inside of the strainer) until you have the smooth coral pink bisque separated from the pulp. Discard the pulp that is left in the strainer. Add to the strained liquid (which is now your finished Lobster Bisque): 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste Create a double boiler, if you don’t have one, by placing a mixing bowl over a pan filled with very hot water, in such a way that the bottom of the mixing bowl is suspended over the water, but is not IN the water. (Using a double boiler or similar configuration is important because creamed soups tend to scorch easily and should not be warmed over direct heat.) Heat and hold the completed Lobster Bisque over, but not in, very hot water until ready to serve. AT THE POINT OF SERVICE, YOU WILL NEED: Warm, toasted baguette slices – rubbed with a cut clove of raw garlic The reserved lobster tail meat, chopped Heat the bisque in the double boiler (as described above). Fill wide shallow white bowls with the hot bisque. Top each serving with a slice of toasted, garlic-rubbed baguette and a few tablespoons of finely chopped lobster meat from the lobster tail. *CHEF’S NOTES *If the bisque is made in advance and will not be served immediately, promptly place a circle of buttered waxed paper or parchment paper, buttered side down, on the top of the bisque and cover the entire container of soup with film or foil. This buttered circle will keep skin from forming on the top of the soup. *A female lobster differs from a male lobster in this way: Look at the underbelly shell. You will see a V-shaped pattern of petals down both sides, pointing downwards. Repeat: This is the female. On the male, the V-shaped pattern of petals is thicker and heavier and points upward. The female is sweeter and provides a red roe, which may be used to make a subtle dusting powder.

References and Disclosures

All recipes are from the Content Creator’s kitchen or from the indicated source.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

All trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product, and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks, and brands does not imply endorsement.