Lobster Stock

[mrbigjas]

I'm making stocks today. Chicken, and lobster.

OK when you make fish stock, if you cook it too long it can develop a weird taste. I've read a bunch of recipes, and most of them say to cook it for about half an hour or 40 minutes. Which is what I've done in the past.

But the lobster stock recipes I've read say to cook it for a couple hours, like chicken stock. Which is fine, and that's what I've done.

But here's my question: is there any reason I can't strain and reduce it, for storage? Will it get funky if I do?

Edited September 28, 2003 by mrbigjas (log)

[Fat Guy]

You can treat shellfish stock pretty much as you'd treat meat stock. It won't be quite as long-lived and durable as meat stock, but it's not nearly as delicate as fish stock. It can handle quite a bit of abuse, reduction, freezing, whatever.

[mrbigjas]

Cool, thanks.

[dano1]

I reduce to a glaze and mount with butter for a rich lobster sauce.

hth, danny

[Dave the Cook]

You can treat shellfish stock pretty much as you'd treat meat stock. It won't be quite as long-lived and durable as meat stock, but it's not nearly as delicate as fish stock. It can handle quite a bit of abuse, reduction, freezing, whatever.

I never make fish stock unless it's for immediate use. I freeze lobster, shrimp and crab shells and make stock from them, reducing to a glaze, then freezing that.

If I need a more neutral "fishy" medium, I reconstitute with white chicken stock or a combination of white stock and bottled clam juice.

[bryan]

Hi. When you say white stock do you mean veal or veg. stock?

[Suzanne F]

Hi, bryan. "When you say white stock do you mean veal or veg. stock?" you ask? Have we got answers for you! Check out the eGullet Culinary Institute lessons on stocks, starting HERE! And if those lessons -- and all that follow -- don't answer your questions sufficiently, post them and ye shall be answered.

And Welcome to active posting.

BTW: the short answer to your question is: a white stock is one for which you did not brown the bones/base ingredient. Could be veal or chicken, which can be made either way, or vegetable or fish. (Did I get that right, Fat Guy? )

[Dave the Cook]

BTW: the short answer to your question is: a white stock is one for which you did not brown the bones/base ingredient.  Could be veal or chicken, which can be made either way, or vegetable or fish.  (Did I get that right, Fat Guy?  )

Ahem.

What Suzanne said. Lately, I've been moving towards Pepin's method (in Complete Techniques), which makes little distinction among protein sources (well, the land-based ones, anyway): beef, veal, chicken, even duck. If I roast the bones, it's a brown stock, if I don't it's white. This has become my "stock" for most purposes. As with the fish, if I need something with definite flavor (say, for a chicken pot pie), I'll make it with a fresh chicken and use the meat for the pie. Or . . . I'll supplement my basic stock with canned chicken broth. Shhh . . .

Ask me again in a few months, and I'll probably have changed this philosophy entirely.

[mrbigjas]

Or . . . I'll supplement my basic stock with canned chicken broth. Shhh . . .

You know what I don't understand? Why can't I buy no-salt-added chicken broth? Or rather, why do I have to search high and low for it? How come every can or box or whatever of chicken broth has like six pounds of salt in it? Drives me nutso. Actually what I should say is that it's forced me to make sure that I always have my own stock around.

[dano1]

Salt in commercial stocks acts as both a flavoring and preserver. I seem to remember a salt free boxed style stock out a few years ago though.

FWIW I didn't salt stocks for years-now I do salt lightly

chicken stock only unless i will reduce to glace. It goes against most conventional wisdom and training but does develop a more flavorful stock.

Just my opinion of course but after many thousands of gallons of stock production professionally it works for me:).

hth, danny

[mrbigjas]

I believe you, and even agree. I salt it sometimes--as you said, if I'm going to use it soon, and not reduce it for keeping (I live in a small rowhouse in Philadelphia, so space is kind of at a premium and nearly all the stock I make gets reduced for freezing).

But, I mean... look at college inn's regular chicken broth nutritional info. That's craziness.

[Dave the Cook]

I agree with Dano -- my chicken stock recipe (here) calls for 1/4 tsp. per quart.

In this thread, I describe a tasting experiment I conducted to test for salt, flavor extraction and reduction. While I am full enough of myself to point you to the thread, I am not so full that I can't admit that the results surprised me.

But to answer mrbigjas, I think that most people don't reduce canned broths, and most people use salt as a flavor in and of itself, rather than (or in addition to) an enhancer. Swanson's (just to pick one) customers like it salty, so that's what they sell.

Also, we shouldn't confuse broth with stock. While their uses are intertwined, they are not really the same thing. What Swanson, et al, sell is broth.

If we're going to continue to talk chicken broth, perhaps we should switch over to the aforementioned thread, so as not to lead this one further astray.

[eskimoted]

If you're making shellfish stock or fish stock here's a great sauce which is perfect with the shellfish meat.

Take your stock, say a good 3 litres of unreduced stock, and reduce it by about half, then add a good whack of a decent white wine, say 500ml or so, and continue to reduce till you have a caramel glaze. This will smell beautifully sweet and will truly have the consistency and colour of a light caramel sauce.

Add in some cream till the sauce looks about right (probably 300 - 400ml or so) and then finish with some saffron strands that have been soaked with the soaking liquid.

Simple and lovely sauce. Also works well with chicken stock.

[Katherine]

Speaking of salt and concentrating stock, I have found that the limiting factor in concentrating lobster stock is its inherent saltiness.

The most flavorful lobster stock I ever made was from lobster shells leftover from a 30 second poach, followed by removal of meat for sashimi, but I wasn't able to cook it down to less than a half.