Hugh's Low-Fat Maine Lobster Stew

The key to this stew is to let it sit overnight in the refrigerator so the flavor has time to develop.

Recipe Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 pounds cooked Maine lobster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 cups hot milk
Sea salt and freshly pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1. In a heavy soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Gently stir in the cooked Maine lobster meat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Gradually add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Season the stew to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper.
3. Allow the stew to stand 5 or 6 hours before reheating for serving.
4. Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): 197 calories, 19 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fat, 344 mg. sodium, less than 1 gram fiber.

Cooking Tip: Old time Maine cookbooks write about the preparation of the perfect Maine Lobster Stew. According to these long-time experts, stirring is most important in this masterpiece; otherwise it will curdle. The steps to success in the stew’s creation are:

1. The partial cooling before gently adding the milk a trickle at a time.
2. The constant stirring until the stew blossoms a rich salmon under your nose.
3. And finally the aging, since every hour that passes improves the flavor. Masters of Lobster Stew set aside 2 days for "aging", with a minimum period of 5 to 6 hours.

Recipe provided courtesy of Maine Lobster Promotion Council.