Lobster Pizza is what the tourists who frequented Mac’s craved; those who didn’t like pizza happily ordered our lobster salad, lobster quiche, lobster thermidor, lobster pitas and whatever else I could make with the ever-popular langouste. It was therefore important that we never run out of the precious stuff, and I grew to HATE the smell of lobster! It was boiled once or twice a week during the season in our back yard, and the odor seemed to hang in the air until the next set was delivered.
The shells left after the lobster meat had been removed needed to be disposed of, and as quickly as possible. They attracted flies, and the stench caused by any shells left to rot was awful. Fortunately, our property at Belmont was large enough to ensure that the lobster pot wasn’t close to the house, but if any backs or antennae were left behind the wind blew the offensive stench of them into my living space. Once the lobster had been processed the shells were gathered up, and either buried in a deep hole or taken by boat to be returned to the sea.
Lobster had increased in price over the years, what I was once able to buy for $6.00 EC per pound had risen to $10.00 or more, so every bit of meat we could extract and use at the Pizzeria was crucial. The shells, heads and backs of the lobsters weigh a lot, and after some careful “before and after” calculations I realized that the processed meat accounted for only one third of the weight. Lobster was, in reality, $30.00 per pound, not $10.00!
One day I was taken by friends to a restaurant offering a seafood special, and the starter was a small bowl of lobster bisque. It was dreadful; to my discerning palate the soup tasted like burnt tomato paste, and I whispered to myself that I could do much better. The next time lobster was delivered to the house my brain clicked. Of COURSE I could do better, all those lobster shells being buried or returned to the sea could be put to profitable use before they were disposed of! I would make lobster bisque for the Pizzeria, and I would make GOOD lobster bisque. We already served up tasty fish chowder at Mac’s, and a rich, creamy lobster soup would be a lovely addition to the menu.
After a quick glance in my kitchen bible (The Joy of Cooking), I gathered what I would need to make the bisque. I saved several of the lobster backs and antennae to make the stock, which I put to boil with some dolphin (mahi-mahi) heads in my largest stock pot. I added salt, flavour peppers, bay leaves, onions and garlic, cabbage leaves and carrots, and left it to simmer on my kitchen stove throughout the night. The next morning I had a very flavourful base for the rich soup and this was important; the stock is the most crucial part in the creation of a truly good lobster bisque, and mine was good indeed!
I began making the bisque by melting butter in a large pot, then added flour to make a roue. I slowly added full cream milk and some tomato paste and paprika, then whisked in the precious stock. I repeated this procedure over and over, pouring the finished bisque into large bowls to cool. I would have a stiff right arm from all the whisking, but the finished product looked and tasted wonderful! I grated nutmeg into each bowl, and once that last ingredient had been added the cooled soup was ready to be transferred into individual containers for freezing.
My lobster bisque was a definite hit. Once ordered, the frozen soup was heated in a pan, with a dollop of cream and chunks of lobster added before serving. It was rich, creamy and incredibly tasty, a wonderful and practical way to use what had always been lobster garbage! My only regret was that I hadn’t thought of it sooner…….