Whole King Prawns

Raw king prawns harbor their gustatory genius in their shells, not their flesh. Their heads are full of a liver (the hepatopancreas) containing incredibly powerful juices. The violent roasting of the whole prawn with its shell triggers complex Maillard reactions that infuse the flesh via conduction. The residual shells and heads are then crushed, flambéed in cognac, and moistened with water to extract (by boiling) a dense and pyramidal crustacean stock: the famous bisque.