One Florida lobster tail
2 tsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1 fresh garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt-free Mrs. Dash seasoning
1/2 tsp. frontier sea salt
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning for seafood
dash black pepper
3 tablespoons CHEAP sherry
1/2 cup of lobster stock made from boiling the heads of four lobsters
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cut the shell off the lobster tail using scissors, then use a knife to cut the meat of the raw tail into 1-inch pieces. Sauté in a large skillet with the butter, oil and veggies. Add the spices and salt. Do not overcook. Turn the heat WAY down. Add the cheap sherry you buy from the grocery store. Do NOT be tempted by the Harveys Bristol Cream sherry right above it on the shelf. This will give your lobster bisque, as it did mine, a cloying Bristol Cream taste. Return the pot to the burner and cook for five minutes more, adding the lobster stock and both kinds of cream. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let the bisque simmer for 30 minutes. Take out some of the sauce and dissolve the cornstarch in it. Add to the bisque and cook three minutes longer, stirring to thicken.
Serves two to three depending on how large or polite they are.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2004.