After a few days’ recreation in the Cotentin area of Normandy, there were several outstanding gastronomic moments. Hot oysters in Le Rendez Vous des Pêcheurs in Portbail, grilled grey mullet on two occasions, each time spanking fresh with great moist flakes, a leg of lamb roast in the fireplace with rather good tomatoes baked in cream and, yes dear reader, mirabelles.

 Good as these things were, they pale in comparison with the boiled lobster our hosts treated us to. I adore lobster but can sometimes be accused of taking it for granted. It is expensive and looks terrific and one is duly grateful without necessarily being overwhelmed. What’s more, one rarely gets enough of it. A “pounder”, or half- kilo fish, usually leaves one wishing for a little bit more. Not these babies: they were big and the three must have weighed in at around seven or eight pounds. They were also extremely meaty. Simply boiled and served with melted butter and new potatoes, they had richness and a depth of flavour.

The seven of us failed to finish off every morsel of claw meat and we were left with a massive mound of discarded shells. Enquiries were made as to the possibility of a bisque. Then the word “paella” emanated from one quarter and became a rallying call. The next day we shopped: a visit to the fish stall yielded a large squid, some prawns and mussels. The grocer could not help with any Spanish rice so we settled for Arborio risotto rice. With roughly these ingredients, I set to work.

Having previously dissed large lobsters as being tough (sort of true) and tasteless (absolutely not), I was equally dismissive of the shell’s ability to produce flavour in the stock. Again I was wrong. Once the stock was produced, we lit a fire in the barbecue and decided to cook the paella al fresco: it seemed the right thing to do. What ensued was as much risotto as paella, with a rich, creamy texture to the rice rather than the separate grains one expects from a true paella but it pleased the company and was a fitting homage to the lobsters of the night before.

Rowley Leigh is the chef at Le Café Anglais
rowley.leigh@ft.com
www.ft.com/leigh

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Paella

Spanish rice will absorb more liquid than risotto rice: increase the stock to 1.5 litres and the mussels to do the rest. Feeds eight.

The stock
1kg lobster shells
1 onion
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
Thyme
5 over-ripe tomatoes, or the equivalent, tinned
½ bottle white wine
Olive oil 
● Roast the lobster shells in a hot oven for 15 minutes and then bash them with a mallet to break them up thoroughly. Stew the chopped onion, carrot and garlic briefly in olive oil in a large saucepan and then add the lobster shells, thyme, tomatoes and white wine. Cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, cook for one hour and then strain.

The paella
2 onions
1 bulb fennel
6 cloves garlic
1 large chilli
400g fresh squid, cleaned
1 tsp hot paprika or pimenton
½ tsp saffron
600ml short-grain rice, preferably Spanish but Italian risotto rice will do
1kg fresh mussels, washed
18 large prawns, shelled
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 lemons
● Chop the onion, fennel, garlic and chilli finely and stew in four tablespoons of olive oil in a paella pan. Slice the squid into thin rounds and chop the tentacles into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Add the squid to the aromatics as soon as they have softened. As soon as it stiffens, dust with the pimenton and add the saffron and the rice. Turn the rice in the mixture until it is coated in the oil and then add 1.5ml of the lobster stock. Stir well and then leave to cook for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed.
● After this time, insert the mussels, pointed side down, into the rice. Scatter the prawns over the surface then cover the dish and continue to cook for five minutes. The mussels should now have opened and the rice should be tender. Sprinkle with parsley, scatter some lemon quarters and serve