Crawfish Shells

[Huevos del Toro]

This being crawfish season there are literally tons of shells left from the mudbug feeds going on. Has anyone used the shells to make a stock? Is it like a shrimp stock? Made the same way I presume. I went to an all-you-can-eat crawdad boil last week and it didn't occur to me to pack the shells home. I'll hit one or two more feeds this season and bring all the shells back if I can make a tasty stock from them. Not everyone sucks the heads so some of the shells will have heads full of fat. I find the fat quite tasty but what kind of stock will it make? Anyone?

[Simon Majumdar]

I gave a recipe ( on the dinner thread I think ) for a Bengali soup using lobster shells which will work well with Crawfish tail.

use a tsp each of

Turmeric powder

Ginger powder

Cinnamon poder

Cumin powder

Corriander ( ground seed )

chilli powder

Also, a bay leaf

Saute in oil to remove the rawness for a minute or so and add the shells. Add a 30z can of tomatoes and 3 pints of water.

Cook on a low heat from three hours and then strain.

it can make a wonderful broth just as it is, but I also like to take chunks of fish and add them to poach at the end to make a indian fish soup

Very easy and delicious

S

Edited March 5, 2003 by Simon Majumdar (log)

[Jon Tseng]

Did this many years ago when caught the crawfish season in China (you mean the tiddly little freshwater ones right, non the clawless lobsters?)

The shells, unsurprisingly, make fantastic stock. I ended up with a very dark brown liquid - much darker than even a brown chicken stock.

Zapped it right down to a syrup and turned a bit bitter (didn't have cream or butter to hand out in Beijing those days to soften it)

Try giving the shells a bit of a roast too before using

You may need to strain as there's lots of grit

J

[Huevos del Toro]

Simon;

That sounds delicious, and simple too. Now all I have to do is book my next crawfish feed.

Jon;

Glad you warned me about the color and possible bitterness from over-reducing. I'll use butter as you suggested to soften it somewhat. I want to reduce until I can freeze in ice cube trays. And I would never have thought to roast the shells first. Thanks.

Now all I have to do is eat a lot of crawfish!!!

[Dana]

The only recommemdation I have about crawfish for stock, is to watch the seasoning. Most crawfish depends on highly seasoned water and reseasoning after removing from the pot. If too much clings to the shells, you'll end up with an overseasoned stock.

[Huevos del Toro]

The only recommemdation I have about crawfish for stock, is to watch the seasoning. Most crawfish depends on highly seasoned water and reseasoning after removing from the pot. If too much clings to the shells, you'll end up with an overseasoned stock.

That's a very good point, Dana. Last weeks feed didn't have seasonings added after the boil, just to the water. I'll watch for overseasoning because I only want the flavor of the crawfish shells. That may mean I'll have to "flush" the shells before making stock with them.

[Matt Seeber]

HDT, if possible you want to make your stock from raw shells / bodies. it's not that you can't use par-boiled shells, but their potency and sweetness is less realized in your stock. as mentioned, beware of overreducing~

[APPS411]

I use the shells to make a stock. Then I use the stock as my added liquid to gumbo.

I put the shells in pot w/ tap water and bring it up to a simmer, let it simmer for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for and hour or so. Put through a strainer and crush them up a bit in the strainer to get all the good stuff out.

The combo of head fat and spicy boil seasoning adds a great depth of flavor to the gumbo.

[Huevos del Toro]

HDT, if possible you want to make your stock from raw shells / bodies.  it's not that you can't use par-boiled shells, but their potency and sweetness is less realized in your stock.  as mentioned, beware of overreducing~

I thought about that, but shrimp stock is commonly made from "used" shells and I simply wanted to take advantage of a source of free shells. I'll give it a shot and see how it turns out. And I'll be very careful to not overreduce. It would be nice to have a freezer with frozen stock concentrate.

[Matt Seeber]

take advantage of a source of free shells

absolutely nothing wrong with that!