Once you get the knack of cooking fresh seafood, you will have a culinary skill that will come in handy many times. Here are some
seafood cooking tips:

• If you overcook mussels, lobster, and shrimp, they will become rubbery and dry.
• You can tell when mussels are done cooking when the shells open.
• Lobster will be done when the meat turns a brilliant white.
• Shrimp will be done when the meat turns pink while boiling.
• Crab legs only need to be heated up, since they are flash frozen on the crab boats after being caught.
• If you grill or bake fish too long, the flesh will become tough.
• Beer makes a great cooking liquid for shrimp. It gives a slightly sweet flavor to the shrimp.
• Do not freeze live lobster. Do not put it on ice while storing it.
• It is easier to peel and devein shrimp when raw rather than cooked.
• Shellfish including fresh lobster, crab, mussels, and crayfish are tastier when cooked in the shell.
• Expect the weight of raw shrimp to reduce by half when cooked.
• For a wonderfully tasty seafood broth, boil shrimp shells with spices, garlic, celery, carrot, and onion. Drain and freeze liquid for later use in soups or chowders.

• 6 cups Water
  
  
• 2 cups Dry white wine
  
  
• 2 cups Fish stock
  
  
• 2 each 1¼ to 1½ lbs. live lobster
  
  
• ½ cup Melted butter, salted
  
  
• 1 cup Onions, finely diced
  
  
• ½ cup Carrots, finely diced
  
  
• ½ cup Celery, finely diced
  
  
• 1 tsp. Garlic, minced
  
  
• ½ cup All-purpose flour
  
  
• ¼ cup Cognac (or Brandy)
  
  
• 1½ cups Tomatoes, seeded and diced (fresh or canned)
  
  
• 1 tsp. Paprika
  
  
• ½ tsp. Thyme
  
  
• ¼ tsp. Ground red pepper
  
  
• 1 cup Heavy cream
  
  

1. Place the water, the white wine and the fish stock into a wide, deep pot (or a Dutch oven), and bring to a boil on high heat.
   
   
2. Place lobsters, topside down, in the broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for approximately 6 minutes. With a pair of tongs, turn lobsters and cook covered for another 6 minutes.
   
   
3. Remove lobsters from broth and put them to the side. When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, begin removing the meat from the shell, dicing the pieces into ½-inch cubes. Store the lobster meat in the refrigerator until later. Place the lobster shells back into the broth, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
   
   
4. Strain the broth through a sieve into a container and store in the refrigerator until later. Discard the lobster shells.
   
   
5. Put your pot (or Dutch oven) back on the stove under medium heat. Pour in the melted butter.
   
   
6. Once the butter is heated up, add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
   
   
7. Add the cognac (or brandy) and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
   
   
8. Mix in the flour, stirring with a heavy gauge spatula or spoon until the mixture is blond in color and has a buttery aroma.
   
   
9. Mix the diced tomatoes, paprika, thyme and ground pepper with the cold broth from the refrigerator. Then, pour the broth slowly into the butter and vegetable mixture. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes under medium low heat, stirring frequently so not to burn.
   
   
10. Remove bisque from heat. Blend small amounts of bisque in blender and then puree. Puree all of the bisque and pour pureed bisque back into pot with remaining amount.
    
    
11. Add chopped lobster meat and heavy cream, heat and serve. If the soup is too thick, thin it by adding milk or water prior to serving.