Hearty Seafood Chowder

Instructions

Step one is to make the Lobster Bisque. (If you want, you can use a store bought variety to cut down on time and labor intensity)

Lobster Bisque

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, add the butter and olive oil. Melt over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Slowly cook for roughly 6-8 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
2. Add the brandy and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Pour in the white wine and cook for another 2 minutes until the liquid has been reduced by half.
3. Add the Lobsters, vegetable stock, green peppercorns, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Top the pot up with water just until it barely covers the lobster shells. Turn the heat to medium high, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Make the Roux in a small separate pot using the flour and butter. Melt butter, add the flour, and stir until turns golden brown, thick, and boasts a nutty fragrance. About 8 minutes.
5. Using a fine strainer, strain the broth into a medium sized pot. (At this point, before your proceed to the next step, you can freeze this broth to save for later.)
6. Add the roux, heavy cream, and saffron. Stir and reduce heat. Slowly cook for 20 more minutes until it has reduced and thickened.
7. Meanwhile, remove the lobster meat from the cooked lobsters. Add to the completed Bisque.

Step Two: BBQ the seafood skewers

Skewers

1. Preheat your BBQ to medium high heat and spray well with Non stick spray. If you have a Skewer basket use that, otherwise you will just need to place the skewers carefully so the cooked fish does not fall through the grates.
2. Take the scallops and wrap them with bacon.
3. Cut the pepper into 2 inch chunks
4. Assemble the skewers with two of each fish option, two of each pepper, two scallops, two shrimp.
5. In a small bowl, add the ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, water, and chilli flakes. Stir to combine.
6. Place the skewers on the bbq and baste occasionally with the ginger soy sauce.
7. cook for approximately 10 minutes until the shrimp have turned pink and the fish is flaky. The bacon scallop should be crisp springy.
8. Do one final baste and remove from BBQ.

Step Three: Make the rice

Rice

1. Saute the mushrooms in a 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Add the rice, and stir for about 2 minutes to brown the dried rice. This creates a nice nutty flavour.
2. Add the chicken stock and cook according to package directions.

Final step, the chowder:

Combine the bisque, rice, and seafood from the skewers. Heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes to blend flavours and serve immediately. Enjoy!