Trader Joe’s Lobster Bisque

Lobster bisque is one of my favorite indulgences. I first tried it as a teenager at Walt Disney World’s Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT, which features panoramic views of fish in large aquariums. Lobster bisque was on the menu at the time, and as soon as I tasted it, I was in love. It’s a blended soup usually made with cream, tomato, some type of stock or broth, onion, and, of course, lobster. These days, I order lobster bisque whenever it’s on the menu at any restaurant I visit, but it’s not a soup I commonly find on menus.

That’s why I was excited to see that Trader Joe’s was selling its own lobster bisque.

Trader Joe’s Lobster Bisque cost $4.99 for a 16-ounce container at the time of writing, which is about 31 cents per ounce.

Earlier this year, Aldi sold lobster bisque as a limited-time Aldi Find for about 27 cents per ounce. So the TJ’s version costs slightly more, but my family feels the Trader Joe’s Lobster Bisque is far superior to the Aldi lobster bisque, so I’m willing to pay a few cents more per ounce.

This is sold in the refrigerated aisle at Trader Joe’s among the other soups and salads.

If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains milk and lobster.

The complete ingredients list includes water, milk (milk, vitamin D3), heavy cream (cream, butter fat), lobster (lobster, salt), butter (sweet cream, salt), cornstarch, sherry wine, onion, tomato paste, sugar, lobster stock concentrate (lobster, salt), sea salt, clam broth, thyme, and paprika.

Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

One container is one serving. For taste testing purposes, I divided this soup four ways so my family could try it. The kids didn’t care for it, so my husband and I took their portions and ended up each eating half of this container, and that was plenty when served as a side to a larger meal.

This soup packs a wallop in terms of fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. In other words, it’s a sometime food and not something to indulge in all the time.

The entire container will net you 530 calories, 44 grams of total fat (56% DV), 27 grams of saturated fat (135% DV), 1.5 grams of trans fat, 175 mg of cholesterol (58% DV), 1,690 mg of sodium (73% DV), 25 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 12 grams of total sugars, 4 grams of added sugars (8% DV), and 11 grams of protein.

The container has directions for heating this in the microwave or on the stove top. I heated my lobster bisque on the stove.

To heat in the microwave, remove the lid and pierce the film. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until heated through, stirring once during heating. Allow to sit for 2 minutes before serving. Remove film carefully. (If you’re like me and prefer not to microwave plastic, you could pour the bisque into a microwave-safe bowl to heat.)

To heat on the stove, pour soup into a 2-quart saucepan and heat on medium-low, covered, for 5-6 minutes or until heated through. Allow to sit for 1 minute before serving.

One fourth of the container of lobster bisque, along with a lobster roll.

I had some langostino lobster tails from Aldi in my deep freezer, so I made a seafood feast with lobster rolls using Trader Joe’s Brioche Hot Dog Buns, and I served the Trader Joe’s Lobster Bisque on the side. Mix up an Aldi Caesar salad kit and you’ve got yourself a restaurant-quality meal.

This is some of the best lobster bisque I’ve ever had, and it’s better than the lobster bisque I’ve gotten at some restaurants. It’s creamy, smooth, and perfectly seasoned, with tiny bits of lobster and a few small bits of minced onion. This will definitely make it onto my shopping list for future Trader Joe’s trips.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Lobster Bisque is excellent, ranking among the best lobster bisques I’ve had in recent years. It’s rich, creamy, and contains a good amount of tiny lobster pieces. It’s loaded with fat and sodium, so it’s best saved for special occasions.