Local Lobster and Crab
The problem with having a lot of kids that are encouraged to ‘eat what Mum & Dad prepare for them because there will be nothing else‘ is that your kids develop great (and sometimes expensive) taste in food at a very young age.
It has gotten to the point where I very rarely take the kids shopping with me because something will catch their eye at the market and before you know it you end up back at the house with a bucket full of shellfish when I only went out to buy a few litres of milk.
Very selective in her dining choices...
To say we are spoiled for choice when it comes to having access to local and very seasonal fish on this island is an understatement. AND, although I did not know this, Lobster is in season and at its cheapest right now! So get out there and take advantage of it.
Can't decide.......so I'll just have both!
We still have a few extra kids lingering here at Chez Wise bringing our total from ten under the age of ten (last week) to only six kids for the next week. Notice how I said only six kids. Clearly a piece of my brain has been sponged away with the gin. Notice I said only gin, this is because I am no longer using tonic.
Might be my favourite photo of my niece Keira to date.
My niece and nephew also fall into the category of ‘kids that eat everything’ mostly because that is how they are raised. And also because they play outside all day long with our kids and when they get to the table they are so famished they would eat your hand! I love hungry children!
And this might be my favourite photo of my nephew Raemonn. The Lobster started flapping!
Friday night came and went with a promise of me cooking dinner for the Chef et al, but I forgot that he would have to do all the work cracking open all the shells and helping the kids get the meat out of the claws. He he he – I had to give him an extra beer to muffle all the harumpfing he did.
Cooked and ready for a bath of melted butter.
The easiest way to eat the lobster and crab is to lightly boil them (alive when you drop them in) in salted water for up to ten minutes. Get the meat out of the shells and drizzle with warm melted butter. Serve with a fresh summer salad and a loaf of warm bread. No need for anything fancy here. That comes for lunch tomorrow!
Dinner was a large garden salad with Lobster and Crab meat
Lobster Bisque
Shells, claws etc. from lobster, crab
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of paprika
4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
2 shallots (chopped finely)
1/2 cup of Hennessy cognac (or your fav. brandy will do)
1 cup heavy pouring cream
Salt & Black pepper to taste
Smash the shells with a mortar and pestle to help release more flavour.
Method
Break up the shells as best you can. We put all our shells into a plastic bag and smashed them roughly with a hammer.
Sauté the garlic and shallots in a little olive oil. Add the shells and the paprika, cayenne pepper and tomato paste. It should look really red in colour and the house should smell like Lobster bisque! Mix it well with a wooden spoon and once it has cooked a bit, deglaze with the cognac.
Cover the shells with water and bring to the oil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and leave for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and leave to cool overnight.
The next day strain off the liquid stock from the shells into a nice large pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.
Make a roux and add to the stock to help thicken your bisque. Add the cream and the bisque is ready.
Egg salad on toast makes for a nice kid-friendly lunchtime snack
This Lobster Bisque is in-your-face packed full of flavour. We threw in a bit of salvaged crab claw meat and a half bag of small shrimp just to give it a bit of texture but it needs nothing else. One of my all time favourites and perfect for lunch!
Lobster Bisque with a dollop of Creme Fraiche
Those are all the WiseWords I have for this afternoon as one of my friends has just popped in a for a visit and the kettle is on!
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