Lobster Stock

At the conclusion of my stay in Cape May, my dad brought down five live and lovely Maine lobsters, which were summarily eaten with great gustatory joy.  They were cooked whole, as is tradition, and we saved all parts of the shell except for the thorax, which is full of lobster viscera (one of mine was undoubtedly female and filled with roe).  The claws, legs, and tail were reserved for some lobster stock, a rare and fancy opportunity for my dad and I, who do so like to cook (and eat).  We were also able to save some meat for the ensuing chowder.

Boone, one of my charges of the week, checks out these strange critters.

Lobster has a fine sweet taste that transfers well into stock for recipes such as bisque and chowder.  It puts me in mind of liquid light on a perfect autumn day- almost a crisp flavor.  But I digress.  Of course you want to know how to make said lobster stock on your rare (or not) occasions when you have lobsters to play with.

My dad took the helm with this one.  As with most and if not all stocks, you will need aromatic vegetables- onion, carrots, and celery.  These should be chopped up and sauteed in your choice of vegetable oil, butter, or both (I think we did both).  Toss in your pieces of lobster and cover with water.  Add salt and pepper to taste (you can always add more later).  This was a very pepper heavy broth, lending a pleasant spice to its inherent sweetness.  Dad also added what he calls a "garnier fresca"- pardon my French.  This is a bundle of fresh herbs tied together with cooking twine; here it was predominantly parsley from his garden.  A bay leaf wouldn't hurt, if he didn't include it.

Allow it all to simmer for quite some time, at least two hours.  I would go for three.  Remove all the solid bits, but strain what juices you can from them by placing them into a colander over the stock and squeezing them with a wooden spoon.  Use immediately, store in the fridge for a couple of days, or freeze- you've got the makings for some tasty soup!