True lobster stew

Several years ago I enjoyed an old-fashioned lobster stew on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Unlike the thick lobster bisque served in restaurants, this stew was thin and chock full of large chunks of lobster meat. I make a similar stew as the first course of Thanksgiving dinner, doubling this recipe:

Lobster stew

1-1/2 to 2-pound lobster, boiled and cleaned

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of lobster broth

2 cups of milk, half and half or cream

paprika or cayenne

sherry (optional)

Earlier in the day or the day before, boil the lobster, remove the meat from the shell and use the pieces of shell to make lobster broth (see below). To make the stew, melt butter in a large saucepan; then add flour and stir to make a roux.  Add a few dashes of paprika or cayenne to taste. Add milk or cream and cook until mixture thickens. Then add lobster broth and cook a few minutes more. Add lobster meat last with a splash of sherry, if desired. Serves four.

Lobster broth
shells from a cooked lobster
one small whole onion
a rib of celery
bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer, lid tilted, for about 30 minutes. Strain.