Squeaks wrote:

>>Don't want to spoil the party . But there is a disease that affecting
>>lobster off of Maine. You can still eat lobster meat , But this disease is
>>affect their shell. These lobster look like hell.
>>
> I often reserve the water in which I've boiled lobster to make lobster
> bisque with the leftover meat. Does the disease make the shells
> unusable in this instance? Suppose not, if it doesn't affect the
> meat...?

I think it *does* make the shells unusable. Here's the article I just read:

http://www.fishresearch.org/Articles...ll_disease.asp

If the shell is infested with bacteria, it's probably not good for stock. At
the least, it probably imparts an off-flavor, but I'd be more worried about
bacterial toxins. I wouldn't use diseased shells.

Bob