Shrimp Stock

This is an even more useful stock than Lobster Stock, since the latter has a more pronounced flavor and generally works best in recipes that call for lobster in it. Shrimp Stock is more versatile, and can be used in almost any recipe that calls for seafood stock or broth, especially if it involves shellfish. (A traditional (in the French fashion) fish stock made from fin fishes is a bit finicky, used for many other things besides the things you might use a shrimp stock for, and I don’t have much experience with them.) A shrimp stock is best used as the base for shrimp soups, bisques, stews, rice dishes, pasta dishes, and especially etouffee. If I am lucky enough to buy whole, head-on shrimp, I use the heads for this. I usually put them in a strainer and rinse them well, since I want to get rid of the majority of the nasty, gritty stuff. There’s a lot of good stuff in there too, namely shrimp fat, and if I lose some, oh well. Likewise, if I keep some of the nasty stuff, oh well – it’ll get strained out in the end.

I also save the shells from every other shrimp dish I cook. I buy shell-on shrimp, take the time to remove the shells, give them a quick rinse, put them in a ziploc bag and pop the bag in the freezer. When the random bags of shells in the freezer become too many, I make them into a stock. Usable scrap, dummy.

There is some science to the fact that, unlike chicken or beef stock, it is eminently possible to overcook a shrimp stock. Apparently the compounds found in shrimp shells which we associate with shrimpiness are extremely volatile and the shrimp character is in danger of escaping your pot entirely if you boil it too fast or for too long. Some say 5 minutes is all you need – that can’t possibly be true, but I find that 35 minutes or so at a gentle simmer is all one needs. I also like making this in smaller batches, and using what I make for an immediate recipe. When you don’t need 3.5 hours to make a stock, you can do that sort of thing. You are also definitely going to need this here.

Ingredients:

• Shells and tails (and heads, if possible) from 2 lbs shrimp
• 1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large rib celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Small bunch of fresh thyme
• Small bunch of parsley stems
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• Water

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot and just cover with water. Bring almost to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Skim once or twice throughout. Simmer for 35 to 45 mins, then lift the solids out with a fine mesh strainer. Pass through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth. May be stored up to 2 months in the freezer.