Shari will give a copy of Curses, Boiled Again, Book One in the new Lobster Shack Mystery series, to one lucky commenter.
Hi, Wickeds! Thank you for inviting me to visit. It’s always a pleasure to hang out with you.
I just launched my debut mystery, Curses, Boiled Again! It’s been a whirlwind – I feel like a little kid playing at the beach who gets knocked over by a wave. Whoa! What just happened?
I’ve enjoyed every surprise but now things are getting serious.
I’m getting reviews.
On one hand, it’s wonderful that readers are taking the time to share their feedback about the book. Plus Amazon likes authors to get reviews, and God knows, we want Amazon to be happy.
And the reviews have been great, for which I’m thanking my lucky stars.
But a couple of reviewers pointed out that I’d forgotten to put something in the book. My cozy mystery mistake?
I’d forgotten a recipe.
The book is full of people cooking, savoring, and talking about delicious Connecticut style lobster rolls.
What’s Connecticut style? It’s simple summertime goodness – freshly cooked lobster served in a buttery, toasted hot dog bun with melted butter poured on top. That’s it. It’s so simple, I didn’t devote a page to a recipe.
Aunt Gully, the owner of the shack, does whip them up that way but she also adds her own Lobster Love sauce, a sauce with the complex flavors of a lobster bisque.
Ah, that Lobster Love sauce.
Dear reader, I have no idea what’s in the Lobster Love sauce. The folks lucky enough to taste it aren’t sure what’s in it either, but they describe it as magical, the taste of summer in New England. They beg for the recipe.
Since I know Aunt Gully better than anyone I know she’d want me to own up to my mistake. I’ve decided to share the secret of the Lobster Love sauce right here on Wicked Cozy Authors.
The secret: there is no one recipe. Aunt Gully makes the Lobster Love sauce a different way every day.
But all that talk of lobster rolls has made readers hungry, so if a craving for lobster hits, here’s a recipe I think Aunt Gully would approve. It’s a bisque, and don’t we all love lobster bisque? Enjoy it now as a savory soup or save it for summertime, and enjoy it, if possible, with a water view.
Easy Lobster Love Bisque
Takes about an hour to make! 6-8 servings
2 lobster tails, cut in half
2 cups water
1 TBSP salt
2 TBSP olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 cups dry white wine (if you don’t want to use wine, replace with stock)
1 TBSP fresh thyme (2-3 sprigs)
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP paprika
3 cups fish stock (or you can use chicken broth)
1 14 oz can fire roasted, diced tomatoes
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup half and half
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
If you like spicy, at the end add some of your favorite hot sauce, to taste.
In 2 cups of salted water in a large pot, steam lobster tails (shell side down) until cooked through (approx. 5 minutes)
Carefully remove tails from the water. Put in bowl. Reserve cooking water. Let the tails cool then remove the meat and reserve the shells.
In a large pot, heat olive oil over med-hi heat. Add onion and celery and cook until onion is translucent (approx. 4-5 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes.
Add the wine to the mixture, deglazing and scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add herbs, paprika, stock, reserved liquid from the lobster pot, and tomatoes. Add reserved shells to the pot. Let simmer 45 minutes.
Remove the shells, strain mixture, and blend with immersion blender until smooth. (If you’re not fussy, you can skip straining the mixture.) Stir in cream, half and half, and lemon juice.
Chop the lobster meat and divide among soup bowls. Ladle bisque over the meat and enjoy!
Readers: What is your favorite restaurant with a view?
