Shrimp Stock

[Katie Meadow]

Sometimes I make a stock from shrimp shells. I use it to steam shrimp for one particular dish, but I haven't used it for anything else. I made 3 cups of very flavorful stock today. The shrimps were pretty hefty size, wild from Mexico. I've discovered that the thicker shells from bigger shrimp actually make a more robust stock.

I do have Jasper White's 50 Chowders, but the only recipe I ever make from it is his fabulous Manhattan Clam Chowder. (Yup, I'm a Manhattan girl and my mother brought me up to never eat Boston.) So anyway, I followed his instructions for salting and cooling it down quickly and stuck it in the freezer, since these particular shrimp have a different destiny. Jasper has only one recipe that uses shrimp stock, and that would be Shrimp Chowder. More half & half goes into this recipe than I use in a year. What other ideas can you come up with for shrimp stock? Does it combine well with fish stock for a fish soup?

[rickster]

Shrimp Risotto. I've adapted a lobster risotto recipe from Todd English's Olives cookbok to use shrimp and the shrimp stock would be perfect for it or any other shrimp or shellfish risotto recipe.

[Fat Guy]

It's not necessary to use a ton of cream, or any cream, when making chowders. As I understand it, old-school New England chowders were based on seafood, salt pork, butter and hardtack. But my suggestion would be to work from a milk-based chowder recipe like this one from the Washington Post earlier this year. Substituting shrimp stock for the recommended "2 1/2 cups fish stock or vegetable broth" can, I imagine, only improve the outcome.

[nickrey]

They are garlicky and full of olive oil but here goes: Garlic Shrimp (or garlic prawns for those of us from the antipodes)

2 lbs (1kg) green shrimp (shelled and deveined, you could leave the tails on)

1 tbs chives

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

5 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 tbs chopped parsley

1 1/2 (300 ml) cup olive oil

1/2 cup (100 ml) shrimp stock

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in an oven proof casserole dish, cook in a 375 degree F (200 degree celsius) oven for 20 minutes.

Serve over a slice of baguette in a soup tureen. Serve with additional bread to mop up the sauce.

(edited to give US and metric equivalents)

Edited October 28, 2008 by nickrey (log)

[onrushpam]

I, too, save shrimp shells and make stock. I just throw them in a ziplock in the freezer and make stock when I have a bunch.

A few weeks ago, I made Brooksie's Seafood Gumbo with some of the shrimp stock I had in the freezer. It is SO good!

[Chris Amirault]

Reduced shrimp stock is also an excellent addition to curries that use shrimp.

[KennethT]

I, too, save shrimp shells and make stock.  I just throw them in a ziplock in the freezer and make stock when I have a bunch. 

A few weeks ago, I made Brooksie's Seafood Gumbo with some of the shrimp stock I had in the freezer.  It is SO good!

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Amen to the gumbo idea... I love it when you have a nice brown roux, really tasty andouille, and a robust shrimp stock... nothing better!

Also, sticking with the shrimp and pork theme, you can do shrimp in a chorizo broth by steeping chopped chorizo in the shrimp stock... add a little cilantro.. mmmmmmmmmm

[snowangel]

Reduced shrimp stock is also an excellent addition to curries that use shrimp.

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Or Tom Yam.

[project]

Enough, enough! Enough teasing! It's CRUEL, SO, cruel!

I have a five pound frozen block of shrimp, headless, about 16 to the pound, shell on, raw, in the freezer; you regale me with fantastic images of awesome flavors from shrimp stock; and then -- cruel, so CRUEL -- you DON'T tell me how to make shrimp stock!

Gee, my shrimp cooking just goes back to my parents where they took a big pot of boiling water, tossed in pickling spice and vinegar, cooked the shrimp, and then discarded the stock!

So, two big, HUGE questions:

(1) How to cook the shrimp and get a stock from the cooking?

(2) What to do with the resulting shrimp and stock?

Cream? I like cream! I have two one quart boxes of heavy cream in the refrigerator; they are old, but a dairy store is not far away. Also, have plenty of milk and butter.

Chardonnay? I have big bottles of the stuff, available to add to stock, if helpful.

Have lots of yellow globe onions, some fresh chives in the herb garden, lots of fresh garlic, lots of dried herbs, can get some carrots, celery, shallots, etc.

But I'm lacking information!

It's sad, really sad: Dinner tonight was two cold pieces of cod fish breaded and deep fried -- a WEEK ago! -- with spicy cocktail sauce, when I could have had something terrific with shrimp, shrimp stock, heavy cream, chives, etc. I even have some Meursault I could wash it all down with! Or beer.

How could you be SO CRUEL!!!!?????

HELP! Save a poor, suffering eG reader!

If I were to improvise, then I might:

Let the shrimp thaw. Peel the shrimp. Set the shrimp aside in the refrigerator. Put the shells and legs in a pot, add shallots, garlic, thyme (my herb garden has plenty), a bay leaf, some dried parsley, liquid from some canned sliced mushrooms, cover with Chardonnay, simmer, strain, and call the result a stock.

Then, gently poach the shrimp in the stock and set aside.

Reduce the stock, combine with white roux to make a shrimp stock 'volute', add hot milk, whip, add egg yolks and heavy cream, test for salt and pepper, add soft butter, warm the shrimp in microwave, pour over the sauce, sit down to a good movie with the Meursault and a pretty woman?

For proportions, I have an old recipe I can post.

Is this what I'm supposed to do?

[tim]

Hi,

Flavorful shrimp stock is perfect for making shrimp cocktail. It is also great for bisque.

Tim

[HKDave]

If I were to improvise, then I might:

Let the shrimp thaw.  Peel the shrimp.  Set the shrimp aside in the refrigerator.  Put the shells and legs in a pot, add shallots, garlic, thyme (my herb garden has plenty), a bay leaf, some dried parsley, liquid from some canned sliced mushrooms, cover with Chardonnay, simmer, strain, and call the result a stock.

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I'd skip the canned mushroom liquid (shudder), and would add a couple slices of lemon and some whole peppercorns, and some white mirepoix (diced onion/celery/leek).

Save most of the wine; cold water's fine for making stock. And fresh parsley would be much better than dried.

For me, shrimp stock says "jambalaya"...

[gperls]

I make shrimp stock regularly, much like chicken stock, only it gets done much quicker and doesn't have so much fat to skim out.

I use it for lots of cajun dishes: gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee. You can also use it in fish stews to good result, or even seafood paellas or risottos.

[Carlo A. Balistrieri]

When I boil shrimp I always add whole caraway seed...flavors the shrimp and any resulting stock.

[suzilightning]

i use shrimp stock to do a Ming Tsai take on hot and sour soup that adds the shrimp instead of pork. just make sure it IS hot enough and sour enough.

[KennethT]

Enough, enough!  Enough teasing!  It's CRUEL, SO, cruel!

I have a five pound frozen block of shrimp, headless, about 16 to the pound, shell on, raw, in the freezer; you regale me with fantastic images of awesome flavors from shrimp stock; and then -- cruel, so CRUEL -- you DON'T tell me how to make shrimp stock!

Gee, my shrimp cooking just goes back to my parents where they took a big pot of boiling water, tossed in pickling spice and vinegar, cooked the shrimp, and then discarded the stock!

So, two big, HUGE questions:

(1) How to cook the shrimp and get a stock from the cooking?

(2) What to do with the resulting shrimp and stock?

Cream?  I like cream!  I have two one quart boxes of heavy cream in the refrigerator; they are old, but a dairy store is not far away.  Also, have plenty of milk and butter.

Chardonnay?  I have big bottles of the stuff, available to add to stock, if helpful.

Have lots of yellow globe onions, some fresh chives in the herb garden, lots of fresh garlic, lots of dried herbs, can get some carrots, celery, shallots, etc.

But I'm lacking information!

It's sad, really sad:  Dinner tonight was two cold pieces of cod fish breaded and deep fried -- a WEEK ago!  -- with spicy cocktail sauce, when I could have had something terrific with shrimp, shrimp stock, heavy cream, chives, etc.  I even have some Meursault I could wash it all down with!  Or beer.

How could you be SO CRUEL!!!!?????

HELP!  Save a poor, suffering eG reader!

If I were to improvise, then I might:

Let the shrimp thaw.  Peel the shrimp.  Set the shrimp aside in the refrigerator.  Put the shells and legs in a pot, add shallots, garlic, thyme (my herb garden has plenty), a bay leaf, some dried parsley, liquid from some canned sliced mushrooms, cover with Chardonnay, simmer, strain, and call the result a stock.

Then, gently poach the shrimp in the stock and set aside.

Reduce the stock, combine with white roux to make a shrimp stock 'volute', add hot milk, whip, add egg yolks and heavy cream, test for salt and pepper, add soft butter, warm the shrimp in microwave, pour over the sauce, sit down to a good movie with the Meursault and a pretty woman?

For proportions, I have an old recipe I can post.

Is this what I'm supposed to do?

←

I know a lot of recipes don't do this, but I like to do my shrimp stock sort of like a lobster stock... so to me, the key to a good shrimp stock is to caramelize the shells well... using pretty high heat and a heavy pot, I add a little bit of canola oil and then fry the shells/legs until they're bright red, moving around quickly so they don't burn. Also, make sure you don't crowd your pot, otherwise you'll be steaming more than frying. I then add a little bit of tomato paste and fry that as well... then I turn down the heat and add mirepoix plus sachet of bay leaf, dried thyme, cracked peppercorns, and a few parsley stems.. I'm not a huge fan of the dried parsley - I think it has a weird flavor... cook until the veggies are soft, then cover with cold water and simmer for about a half hour, skimming any impurities that may come up... strain and cool...

[Fat Guy]

There are a lot of ways to go about making a stock from or with shrimp shells. Me, I'm largely in alignment with KennethT on making essentially a shellfish stock like one would use as the base for a classic bisque. In other words, a very rich, reddish stock that can stand up to cream and such. I prefer to use butter as the fat for "roasting" the shells but I doubt that claim would survive a blind taste test. I also think (and think this claim would survive blind tasting) shrimp stock is much better if you're working with head-on shrimp. Indeed, if you're not working with heads, it's probably sensible to throw in some other crustacean shells (lobster, crab -- whatever you've been, we hope, collecting in the freezer) and make more of a general shellfish stock. Unless you're specifically saucing a shrimp dish, in which case there's a specific argument for an all-shrimp stock, the mixed shellfish stock will pack more flavor. Another thing that can be done, ala Peterson, to punch up the flavor of a shrimp stock while preserving a clear shrimp flavor is to use fish stock as the liquid.

[KennethT]

There are a lot of ways to go about making a stock from or with shrimp shells. Me, I'm largely in alignment with KennethT on making essentially a shellfish stock like one would use as the base for a classic bisque. In other words, a very rich, reddish stock that can stand up to cream and such. I prefer to use butter as the fat for "roasting" the shells but I doubt that claim would survive a blind taste test. I also think (and think this claim would survive blind tasting) shrimp stock is much better if you're working with head-on shrimp. Indeed, if you're not working with heads, it's probably sensible to throw in some other crustacean shells (lobster, crab -- whatever you've been, we hope, collecting in the freezer) and make more of a general shellfish stock. Unless you're specifically saucing a shrimp dish, in which case there's a specific argument for an all-shrimp stock, the mixed shellfish stock will pack more flavor. Another thing that can be done, ala Peterson, to punch up the flavor of a shrimp stock while preserving a clear shrimp flavor is to use fish stock as the liquid.

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Butter? Interesting... is it clarified butter or whole butter? I'd imagine the whole butter would burn... but I definitely agree that it's a totally different ballgame with heads-on shrimp... much more flavor... sometimes, if I don't have the heads, I'll throw in a small handful of chopped up shrimp with the shells to try to boost the flavor a bit...

[PopsicleToze]

Hi,

Flavorful shrimp stock is perfect for making shrimp cocktail.  It is also great for bisque.

Tim

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Hello, Tim

I'm not sure what you mean with shrimp stock making a great shrimp cocktail. The shrimp cocktail around here is boiled shrimp with a ketchup/hot sauce/horseradish/lemon/worcestershire dipping sauce. Where would the shrimp stock fit?

Rhonda

[Fat Guy]

In Peterson's shrimp and smoked salmon sauce, on page 213 of SAUCES, he starts by cooking the shrimp shells in (regular) butter for approximately 10 minutes. I've tried the same as a base for stock (a lot of the sauces in the book start with a stock, as this one does) and it has seemed nice to me. I think if you totally blast the heat you'll burn the butter, but if you use mild heat it's not really an issue.

[Fat Guy]

PopsicleToze, as I understand it, you would poach the shrimp in the stock instead of boiling them in water. It's just a way to reinforce the shrimp flavor.

[Shalmanese]

Paella

[nickrey]

I also make shrimp stock like a chicken stock.

1/2 onion, quartered

2 carrots in 1 inch lengths

2 sticks celery in 1 in lengths

5 peppercorns

2 cloves garlic, crushed

shells and heads from 2lbs uncooked shrimp (crushed)

olive oil.

quickly fry onion, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil to release flavors

add shrimp remnants and cover with water

Cook at rapid simmer for 2 hours

strain through muslin

return to heat and reduce until 2 cups of concentrated stock remains

[markk]

I would probably reduce it way down (having added some white wine, I'm sure) and turn it into a sauce for a piece of broiled or baked salmon (or just about anything), mounting it at the end with a bit of butter.

[markk]

It's not necessary to use a ton of cream, or any cream, when making chowders. As I understand it, old-school New England chowders were based on seafood, salt pork, butter and hardtack. But my suggestion would be to work from a milk-based chowder recipe like this one from the Washington Post earlier this year. Substituting shrimp stock for the recommended "2 1/2 cups fish stock or vegetable broth" can, I imagine, only improve the outcome.

←

For anybody interested in cutting down on the use of heavy cream, Julia Child in "The Way to Cook" talks about making thick, delicious "creamed" soup by simply putting the liquid (the broth) into a blender or food processor with some cooked white rice and pureeing it. And do you know, it makes a soup that's thick and velvety and creamy tasting !! I usually cook the rice in some of whatever liquid I'll be blending it in to. I've never seen this take off, but once you get the concept of it, it's a fabulous way to make all kinds of thickened things (soups, sauces) completely without cream, and it's close to impossible to tell.

[KarenDW]

For anybody interested in cutting down on the use of heavy cream, Julia Child in "The Way to Cook" talks about making thick, delicious "creamed" soup by simply putting the liquid (the broth) into a blender or food processor with some cooked white rice and pureeing it.  And do you know, it makes a soup that's thick and velvety and creamy tasting !!  I usually cook the rice in some of whatever liquid I'll be blending it in to.  I've never seen this take off, but once you get the concept of it, it's a fabulous way to make all kinds of thickened things (soups, sauces) completely without cream, and it's close to impossible to tell.

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Also good for when cooking for people who cannot have wheat.