Use one, two, three, or more lobsters, according to how much soup is wanted. It is not costly, because the flesh, or most of it, is kept to make a salad the next day, for breakfast or lunch.
The salad might be served the same day at dinner, but lobster is a rather heavy food, and it is more prudent not to eat any late in the day.
_Bisque of Lobster à la Colbert._--Make a _bisque_ as above, and while it is on the fire, poach as directed as many eggs as there will be persons at dinner; put them in the soup-dish instead of _croutons_, and serve as above.
_Of Crabs._--Proceed as for a bisque of lobster in every particular, except that you use hard-shell crabs instead of lobster.
_The same à la Colbert._--Add to the above as many poached eggs as you have guests.
_Of Craw-fish (Bisque d'Ecrevisses)._--Our readers who have been in Europe will certainly remember the name of one of the best soups that can be made. It is made of craw-fish the same as with lobster, and is certainly more delicate than a _bisque_ of lobster or of crabs. (See Craw-fish for other particulars.)
A _bisque_ of craw-fish may also be served _à la Colbert_ the same as a _bisque_ of lobster.
_Bouillabaisse._--The real _bouillabaisse_ is made in Marseilles; they make an imitation of it in Bordeaux, and in many other parts of France and the Continent; but, like a Welsh rarebit prepared out of Wales, it is very inferior to the real one. However, we will give the receipt to make it here, and as good as possible with the fish that can be procured.
Put a gill of sweet-oil in a tin saucepan and set it on a sharp fire; when hot, add two onions and two cloves of garlic sliced; stir so as to partly fry them, and then take from the fire. Put also in the pan three pounds of fish, such as haddock, halibut, turbot, white-fish--of all if possible, but at least of two kinds; also a dozen muscles, just blanched and taken from the shell (some put them whole, properly cleaned). The fish is cut in pieces about two inches long. Then add one gill of Catawba or Sauterne wine, a bay-leaf, two cloves, two slices of lemon, the juice of a tomato, salt, pepper, a pinch of saffron, cover with cold water, and set the pan back on a brisk fire. After about thirty minutes add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley; boil ten minutes longer, and it is done.