How To Use Shrimp Stock

If you lot have shrimp with shells, you tin can make shrimp stock.

In a perfect world, yous would alive near the body of water, or to a fishmonger good enough to stock shrimp with their heads on — and you'd use those heads for your shrimp stock. But alas, most of us do not.

A bowl of shrimp stock with one shrimp in it — Photo past Holly A. Heyser

No worries, you tin can brand a lovely shrimp stock at home using simply shells. That said, you want more than shells than you lot typically will get when you buy a pound or so of shrimp.

The thing to exercise is to trounce your shrimp, so put the shells in a plastic bag and freeze them until yous have shells from at to the lowest degree 2 pounds of shrimp. Annotation that I am not maxim two pounds of shrimp shells, although if yous had that many you lot could make a big batch of shrimp stock.

This general principle works with whatever shellfish. I relieve crab, lobster and crawfish shells for seafood stock. Fish stock is a flake different. I typically make fish stock with fresh skeletons and bones, and I rarely freeze it.

Which brings up a major deviation between stocks made from birds and country animals versus stocks made with watery things. The old stocks store very well either frozen or pressure canned. The latter exercise not.

Shrimp heads for making stock — Photo by Hank Shaw

This is non to say you cannot preserve your stock. People do, and if you want to, I strongly urge you to freeze it, not pressure tin can it. The reason is because thawed stock volition gustation better than force per unit area canned stock from fish or seafood. The high estrus involved in pressure canning does not assist these stocks.

I almost e'er brand shrimp stock and use it inside a week, creating a sort of shrimp fest where I eat the shrimp in, say, Lowcountry shrimp perloo, making the stock for that dish, and so using the leftover stock for a shrimp risotto or somesuch afterward in the calendar week. Mexican caldo de camaron is some other great use for shrimp stock.

How do you make shrimp stock? It'south way easier than with mammal or bird-based stocks. In fact, it takes less than 2 hours beginning to finish. You don't really desire to simmer it very long, or it will become overly fishy. And you also only make smaller batches, since it isn't equally good frozen as, say, duck stock.

My recipe has two ingredients that are easily establish in supermarkets, but are optional: saffron and fennel. Fennel, also chosen anise, is a white bulb that tastes faintly of licorice, and saffron adds aroma and a pretty yellowish hue to the stock. Saffron + seafood is a classic match. And as well, you only demand a pinch.

Shrimp Stock

Whatever sort of shrimp volition do hither, and if y'all take heads, use them along with the shells; it'll make a meliorate stock. Y'all tin can as well use whole teeny shrimp, too.

Prep Time 15 mins

Melt Time 1 hr

Total Fourth dimension 1 hr 15 mins

Form: Soup

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 130 kcal

▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ one yellow or white onion, chopped
▢ 1 celery stem, chopped
▢ ane large carrot, chopped
▢ The peak from i fennel bulb, chopped
▢ 4 cups shrimp shells, from well-nigh two pounds of shrimp
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
▢ i teaspoon cracked black peppercorns (not footing)
▢ i loving cup white vino
▢ 1 pinch of saffron
▢ Salt

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-loftier rut. Saute the onions, celery, carrot, fennel and shrimp shells until the vegetables are translucent and the shells turn orange, about half-dozen to 8 minutes.
Add together the bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns, so the white wine. Bring to a boil, then cover everything with water to a depth of nigh one inch. Crumble the saffron into the broth. Let this simmer gently for 45 minutes to one hour.
Prepare a paper towel inside a strainer and put the strainer over a big basin. Ladle the stock from the pot through the strainer to remove all debris. Add salt to the strained stock to your liking.

This recipe makes about 2 quarts.

Hank Shaw

Hey in that location. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the net's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.