Region: International
Category: Basic Recipes and Sauces
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time
Never throw away shrimp, crab, or lobster shells, as they are the basisLO.jpg)
to one of the great secrets of cooking. These are an instant foundation to magnificent sauces, soups, and stews. I make shrimp stock and lobster stock whenever I’ve got leftover shells. It’s so easy and you can extract so much more flavor from the shellfish, even when you think you’re all done with that shrimp or lobster. Collect the heads and shells of the shrimp as well as any leftover lobsters shells if you are eating lobster.
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 2 quarts
Preparation Time: 3 to 5 hours in all
Shells and heads of 2 pounds of fresh shrimp or shells from 1 pound of defrosted headless shrimp or the shells or carcass of 1 or 2 cooked 1 1/4-pound lobsters
1 medium onion, cut up
1 small carrot, sliced
1/2 celery stalk, sliced
Bouquet garni, tied in cheesecloth, consisting of 2 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1 bay leaf
3 to 4 quarts water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Put all the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a stock pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off the foam until no more appears. Partially cover the pot and simmer on very low heat for at least 2 hours.
2. Pour the broth through a cone-shaped strainer (chinoise), if you have one, and discard all the shells, vegetables, and bouquet garni. Now pour the broth through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a bowl or pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The broth can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Variation:
Note:
Posted: 01/06/2007