ANCIENT INDIAN COOKING

One of my favourite soups of all time, the lobster bisque. It’s packed full of deep rich lobster flavor (as it should) and is the perfect start to any winter night. I’ve always thought it was really hard to make, but recently I decided to give it a try. I love lobster, either sitr-fried, boiled or grilled. There’s just something about the taste, flavour and texture that makes it unique. But what happens to the shell once you’re finished devouring the tasty meat? Usually trash. Ah ha, but there’s where this recipe shines. Surely, there must be a better send off for the shells than the trash. Indeed, my lobster bisque is made from leftover lobster shells. Of course, logically, it would make sense to use lobster shell + meat that has not been previously cooked/seasoned, but it just seems such a waste not extract every last drop of flavor out of these sea treasures. So here’s how I make the bisque:

1. gather lobster shells from leftovers (either from stir-fried, boiled or grilled lobster)
2. put the shells in a large pot
3. simmer at medium heat for a couple of hours until a layer of “redness” forms in the bisque
4. remove the shells, concentrate the bisque on high heat
5. add carrots + celery (optional)
6. add butter + cream, season to taste
7. add brandy (optional)
8. serve with lobster meat + cream

Of course, this is a simplified version of lobster bisque. Bisque recipes usually include “liquidizing” the shells in a liquidizer/blender. The liquidizer step adds every last drop of flavor into the bisque and, more importantly, the intense red/orange color for the bisque. But until I get a liquidizer, this simplified version will have to do for now!

PS: I sometimes do steps 1-4 to make a concentrated lobster sauce that I can save for later to use in a seafood risotto or pasta!

This is really Lobster Cantonese with Shrimp substitued. That's where lobster sauce comes from.. It's a combination of chicken broth, eggs, ground pork, fermented black beans, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, chicken stock, sugar, garlic, and ginger, all rolled up into my favorite Chinese dish. Notice that it isn't clear like cheap takeout places. I've been eating and enjoying it for as long as I can remember. My parents took my brothers and me to Philadelphia's Chinatown a few times a month to a little restaurant called the Shanghai Garden. This is where my love affair with Chinese cuisine started, ,and where I learned to eat with chopsticks. These were some of my fondest memories and when I cook Chinese food now, it truly takes Comfort Food to a new level!