Lobster Stock

[emilymarie]

I have read many recipes and been told by more than a few people to use the lobster heads only when making lobster stock.

Is this true--should I be using lobster heads only in my lobster stock?

And if so, why?

Also if so, what should I do with the rest of the shells? Is it only the heads that contain flavor?

Lots of questions, I know, but I'd love some feedback.

thanks.

[dano1]

heads is where the "good stuff" is. I make a lobster stock that totally goes against the grain-but thats how i learned and its damn good.

Remove the guts out of the heads(this is what we're using), don't worry about dead mans fingers here. Brown off in plenty of canola and whole butter. Kick in some fennel. brown, add fish stock. cook out. Pass, pushing through a chinois, reduce. Do not skim-you want that fat in the stock.

For a bisque, i'll use the shells also and berr as part of the process.

hth, danny

[johnnyd]

I make lobster stock using any and all scraps of the beasties. It is my base liquid for clam or fish chowder, or bisque.

Depending on what it's for, I'll sear them or not. Usually not for chowdah. Dano's method looks good but I never add fennel until the dish is constructed.

I quickly cruised a short list off gooogle for "How to make lobster stock" and none of them called for just-heads, only the whole carcass.

[Chris Amirault]

Ditto johhnyd. The frames and the little legs (particulary those from eaters in too big a hurry to poke out their luscious meat pockets) are crucial.

[dano1]

I quickly cruised a short list off gooogle for "How to make lobster stock" and none of them called for just-heads, only the whole carcass.

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Sold as lobster bodies wholesale-heads with all the stuff. 40lb/case in my area.

hth, danny

[emilymarie]

thanks all. so the reasoning is that you use the heads b/c that's where all of the guts, etc. are. but once you remove the guts, etc. isn't it just the same as using other parts? unless the stuff, etc. flavors the shells, which it very well might.

dano1, I have some questions about your post:

"Remove the guts out of the heads(this is what we're using)"

-So you use only the heads? i apologize if i'm misreading.

"For a bisque, i'll use the shells also and berr as part of the process."

-What does berr mean?

[Fat Guy]

That advice sounds like nonsense to me, and where did you hear it anyway?

I usually make lobster stock when I'm making a dish that uses lobster meat, as opposed to serving whole lobsters. What I do is remove the claws and tails from the live lobsters and boil them in salted water until the meat is just cooked rare (usually, you will want to boil the claws for approximately twice as long as the tails, which is why this method works better than cooking a lobster whole) unless it's for a cold dish like lobster salad, in which case I'll cook it just through.

Meanwhile, I separate the bodies (if you pull up and down on the opening where the tail used to be attached, they come right apart) and set aside the roe from any females and then clean out whatever guts I can reach with my fingers. Then I put the bodies in a roasting pan in the oven for a good long time.

After the tail and claw meat is cooked, I remove it from the shells and add those shells to the roasting pan with the bodies. Once everything is nicely roasted, I add it to a stockpot with fennel, leeks, carrots and celery, and also tomatoes if a deeper color is desired.

Then I make lobster roe butter by mixing the roe into butter and I freeze it.

As opposed to fish stock, I treat lobster stock like a meat stock and simmer it for several hours. I like to let it cool overnight in the refrigerator with all the shells and aromatics still in the stock, and then strain it the next day, after which I reduce it to a strong concentration.

When it's time to cook with this stock, say for a soup, whip out the lobster roe butter and mix it in towards the end of cooking. It will reinforce the flavor and color of whatever you're making.

[Chris Amirault]

so the reasoning is that you use the heads b/c that's where all of the guts, etc. are. but once you remove the guts, etc. isn't it just the same as using other parts? unless the stuff, etc. flavors the shells, which it very well might.

←

The frame under the carapace that ends at one end with the eyes, antennae, etc., protects a lot of things, including guts, etc. But that "etc" includes a chunk of intricate cartilage that provides the structure for the upper legs. That structure contains a large amount of meat, much of it very tender. Most people don't go near it, so that part is usually filled with good meat -- and thus with good flavor for stock. Check it out the next time you've got a head around.

[dano1]

sorry if i wasn't clear. I remove the guts(includes legs et al-they rip right out) and use that for the base of the sauce. shells go back into the freeze for bisque or other shellfish stock. The base will be a dark, muddy looking stock-do not skim the fat. Flavor is intense lobster, mount with butter and you're done. If your looking for that reddish color, include the shells, add tomato product, berr and pass a few times.

A berr mixer is large wand blender. For pulverizing and blending.

I make ~5-10gal(20-40lb lobster bodies) at a time and reduce to maybe 1/4 volume or more-depends.

Not quite sure who fatguy is referring to about nonsense but ya heard it from me...;)

hth, danny

[emilymarie]

Not quite sure who fatguy is referring to about nonsense but ya heard it from me...;)

hth, danny

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i think he's referring to my original post--where i say that many have told me that it's heads-only. he can confirm or deny, i am sure-- .

thnx again.

[Fat Guy]

Right. I'm saying heads-only for stock sounds like nonsensical advice. Lobster-head stock?

[Neal J. Brown]

Right. I'm saying heads-only for stock sounds like nonsensical advice. Lobster-head stock?

←

Yeah, Fat Guy is right on and his recipe definitely falls in line with classical stock preperations. Use everything you can to get the most flavor! Just be cautious to cook the proper time. When roasting, you dont have to roast them that long to stimulate that toasty flavor, and if you are not careful you can actually make them taste "smokey" and that is not good as you can never rid your dish of the flavor. Think Delicate!

[pam claughton]

Use it all. The shells have loads of flavor. This link is the best lobster stew recipe I've ever had, and I've tried many. This is a simple recipe where instead of making a separate stock, you actually simmer the shells in the cream/milk/butter/sherry mixture, then let it sit in the fridge over night. All the flavor seeps into the milky broth, and is divine. I even went a bit over the edge, and after pouring out the liquid, added more cream/milk/butter and simmered it again...so I used the shells twice, and got just as much flavor the second time.

This recipe is from Lydia Shire, who runs Boston's Locke Ober seafood restaurant. She was a guest chef on Emeril.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_20192,00.html

Pam

[emilymarie]

great responses. i suppose everyone has their own method for making lobster stock, hence the advice to use only heads. on this one, though, i'm going to go with the consensus and give lobster stock another try, using the whole shells and roasting them in the oven. i love the idea of treating lobster stock like a meat stock. i toasted them on top of the stove in the stock pot when i made it the first time, but that didn't yield much flavor.

My final question--Per every 1.5 to 2 lb lobster, how much liquid am i adding, and how much final stock product can i expect.

[flapjack willy]

Most of the above is good but the best chef I ever worked for in a place where taste was more important than food cost would allways drop two or three chick lobsters, whole into the gringder along with a good measure of bodies, grind it all up and make a killer stock

[johnnyd]

Right. I'm saying heads-only for stock sounds like nonsensical advice. Lobster-head stock?

←

Yeah, Fat Guy is right on and his recipe definitely falls in line with classical stock preperations. Use everything you can to get the most flavor! Just be cautious to cook the proper time. When roasting, you dont have to roast them that long to stimulate that toasty flavor, and if you are not careful you can actually make them taste "smokey" and that is not good as you can never rid your dish of the flavor. Think Delicate!

←

One time, my brother, who has years more experience than I in commercial kitchens, roasted lobster bodies for stock and rendered the house uninhabitable. The chowder I made was a lot stronger than usual, my wife didn't like it.

I think he may have over-roasted them. What do I look for when I do this, or is there a time-limit to allow in the oven?

[howard88]

Agree with all who indicate using everything related to the

lobster is the way to go.

I have made lobster bisque many times.

I simply simmer all lobster parts with a mirapoux

(yes I know the spelling is wrong), with lobster and

chicken base, and if I don't have the base I just let

the lobster shells and vegetables rock slowly for

a few hours.

Simply what you want is a rich, tastefull stock at

the conclulsion. So taste and reduce and do not

add salt.

[Anna N]

Ok. I surrender - I was really hoping that someone on this thread would ask and get an answer to a question which is probably quite silly - but it stops me from using all those lovely lobster shells when we have a rare lobster feast.

Somewhere I read, and I think it was someone I trusted, that before you use these bodies to make anything, you need to find and remove some anatomical sac that is located behind the head. Having poked about in a number of these puppies looking for said sac, with no luck, I decided it was safer to not use them. I know that some of the things in there don't look a bit appetizing.

So, should I be concerned? Can I just toss the bodies into oven to roast without worrying about what is in there?

[dano1]

Ok.  I surrender - I was really hoping that someone on this thread would ask and get an answer to a question which is probably quite silly - but it stops me from using all those lovely lobster shells when we have a rare lobster feast.

Somewhere I read, and I think it was someone I trusted, that before you use these bodies to make anything, you need to find and remove some anatomical sac that is located behind the head.  Having poked about in a number of these puppies looking for said sac, with no luck, I decided it was safer to not use them.  I know that some of the things in there don't look a bit appetizing.

So, should I be concerned?  Can I just toss the bodies into oven to roast without worrying about what is in there?

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never heard of a sac in lobster heads-softshells yeah. I've seperated, split, and otherwise mutilated a few of them.

FWIW, of course ;), danny

[zeitoun]

The frame under the carapace that ends at one end with the eyes, antennae, etc., protects a lot of things, including guts, etc. But that "etc" includes a chunk of intricate cartilage that provides the structure for the upper legs. That structure contains a large amount of meat, much of it very tender. Most people don't go near it, so that part is usually filled with good meat -- and thus with good flavor for stock. Check it out the next time you've got a head around.

←

I would agree with the above that there are elements of the head that are more flavorful than others.

I use the French Laundry cookbook's instructions when preparing lobster and lobster stock in general. With this method the shells covering claws and tail are not used for stock. The carapace covering the head is removed and set aside. The tomalley (the dark greenish viscous part which is full of flavor) is removed and set aside for another use (I would use it to flavor a sauce or even eat it raw over rice). The whitish hairy gills are removed and discarded - why? taste it and you'll understand why - so is the small sac located right behind the eyes.

What is left basically is the inner cartilage connecting the legs together with small chunks of meat lodged in between. This is what contains most flavor and is used for stock only. I would use shells to make a quick sauce but I find it not suitable for a stock infusion.

Of course, it is possible to use everything also, nothing wrong with that, but I tend to think that this method gives the stock a cleaner flavor.

[Anna N]

The whitish hairy gills are removed and discarded - why? taste it and you'll understand why - so is the small sac located right behind the eyes. 

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THANK YOU! I knew I had read this somewhere and that someone I trusted said it! But I guess it's not like a lobster is a puffer fish. If it gets left in there's not likely to be an autopsy (except on the lobster, maybe).

So maybe next time, those lobster leftovers won't end up in the garbage - I'll make a stock with them. (Still wish I could find and identify that little sac!)

[zeitoun]

The whitish hairy gills are removed and discarded - why? taste it and you'll understand why - so is the small sac located right behind the eyes.  

←

THANK YOU! I knew I had read this somewhere and that someone I trusted said it! But I guess it's not like a lobster is a puffer fish. If it gets left in there's not likely to be an autopsy (except on the lobster, maybe).

So maybe next time, those lobster leftovers won't end up in the garbage - I'll make a stock with them. (Still wish I could find and identify that little sac!)

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Well, the sac is easy to miss, it is small, does not quite resemble a sac and is located where one wouldn’t bother to look. It contains a darkish bitter substance which is plain inedible. I've been told that it is the brain (makes sense location wise) but I don't know if I can confirm that. The first time I opened a lobster I realized that there was only one way I could tell what was good or not, just taste everything separately!

[BonfireCuisine]

So question –

You have a live lobster and you want to just serve the cooked tail and claw meat; cook the remaining parts to make a stock and then take stock and make a sauce of some sort.

Is it over kill on the “lobster” flavor? I’ve always considered lobster to be a delicate flavor and texture. I’ve been to way to many restaurants that have over cooked it to be this rubber thing with sauce on it.

I’m looking for the lobster to be the main flavor but yet not over power the accompanying ingredients.

I apologize if this isn’t the right part of the forum. Thinking of lobster stock, got me thinking of creating a dish with lobster in it.

Thanks for your time – Jason

[chefdg]

The "head" is the entire body. Everything thats not the claws or the tail.

[SobaAddict70]

Seeing this topic made me think of El Gordo's (my nickname for Fat Guy ) essay on risotto making on his old web site "fat-guy.com":

The guy who helped us asked how we were planning to cook the lobster, and I suppose he expected us to say "steamed" or something like that. But Chef Matt just looked at the guy and said, "Well, we're going to pop off the claws and tail and boil those. Then we'll chop the meat up and use it in a risotto. We'll make a lobster cream with the body and mix that into the risotto too, and maybe we'll garnish it with some of the roe." The guy reflected for a moment and replied, "So, uh, what time is dinner?" We bought a small lobster, maybe a pound and a quarter, for about ten dollars.

Chef Matt's and El Gordo's Risotto Adventures

Soba