Lobster recipe

Ingredients

1. shells, legs, claws and any other bits from 1 kg lobster (crush the shells a bit with a hammer, meat mallet, or skillet)
2. ½ cup chopped onion
3. ¼ cup chopped celery
4. 2 cloves garlic
5. 1 lemon, sliced
6. 2 fresh bay leaves
7. 3 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together in a bunch
8. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a 2 litre saucepan. Cover with cold water (about 6-8 cups)
2. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Strain stock. Store in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Notes

1. When adding fresh thyme to a simmered dish like this, bundle the sprigs tightly with butchers twine. The leaves will fall off while cooking, and you will get all of the flavour from the stems. When ready to serve just remove the bundle of stems along with your bay leaves.
   Lobster stock is a special item. It isn't every day you get a chance to enjoy the richness of lobster meat, and with the seafood treasures being so expensive, every cook should have a recipe to make use of the leftover bodies and shells.
   
   This recipe is for lobster stock, but you can concentrate it and add a bit more salt to make a rich lobster broth, too. Use this as a soup base, or for a fantastic lobster risotto.