Lobster Stock

[paradise]

Need some help, please. I have 12 lobster shells and some meat. I don't want to waste the shells, I want to make some stock and lobster chowder. How do I go about this?

[Jinmyo]

paradise, you mean just a stock?

even just gently simmering in water will do. Bring to a gentle boil and keep it there, about one hour. Or you could use a court boullion (white wine, mire poix). You can enhance with garlic or tarragon. But the simpler the stock is, the more options you have later.

Skim, skim, skim.

Then ladle the stock gently through a chinois.

[Brad S]

Remove the meat that you say was left behind (for your chowder)

Using a clever brake down the shells a bit.

Sweat a white miro poix in evoo and remove, roast the lobster shells in the oven at 350f in the same pain for 30 minutes,add a couple tablespoons tomato paste and roast 5 minuts more.

Add this along with the miro poix to a sauce pan,deglaze the roasting pan white a dry white wine and reduce to sec and add it to the sauce pan.Add a bouget garni and cover with cold water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer 30 minuts.

Strain out the boullion and proccess the solids in a food processor,add back to the stock,add a bit of tarragon and pernod and a little more water and a pinch of salt.

slowly simmer for 45 minutes half on the fire as to develope the skum to one side and skim and discard.

Strain through a fine china cap,let the soilids sit in the china cap for an hour to get as much extraction as possible.

This is the basic technique for fond du homard (lobster stock)

[Fat Guy]

Here's a recipe for lobster chowder that Matt Seeber and I wrote a few years ago, based on a day of cooking we did together:

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Chef Matt's "Fat Guy" Lobster Chowder

(Makes enough for two fat guys as a meal, or for four as an appetizer.)

Separate the tails and claws from four live 1.5-pound lobsters. Boil them until the meat is just cooked, approximately four minutes for the tails and eight minutes for the claws (measured from the time the water comes back up to the boil). Serve the lobster tails immediately, or refrigerate for use in lobster salads or other recipes. Remove and chop the claw meat, and refrigerate for use in the chowder.

Remove all innards from the lobster body, setting aside the roe if the lobster is a female. Rinse the bodies thoroughly.

In a 4-quart or bigger pot, place the bodies, a peeled and quartered onion, a peeled and roughly chopped carrot, a chopped celery stalk, and, if available, half a small fennel bulb. Cover with approximately 2 quarts of the cooking water from the claws and tails (or use plain water). Do not add salt (lobster is naturally salty). Bring to a boil and simmer for three hours.

Strain the stock, discard the solids, and place the liquid back on high heat. Reduce until you have about two cups of thick, rich lobster stock.

Add an equal amount of heavy cream, two diced boiled potatoes and the lobster claw meat. Bring back to the boil, heat through and serve.

Optional:

# Combine the lobster roe with a few tablespoons of room-temperature butter and mix thoroughly with a fork until a smooth green paste is formed. Add this to the chowder at the end of cooking and boil, while stirring, for one minute. The lobster roe, when cooked this way, will turn everything a delightful shade of pink and provide further body and flavor to the chowder.

# Add a smoked pork product, like bacon or sausage, to the chowder for a nice smoky flavor.

# Add other chopped cooked vegetables (corn, carrots, leeks), fresh herbs (particularly tarragon) and/or shellfish (scallops, clams) to the chowder for variety.

# If you perform all three of these optional steps, this will be one of the best, most insanely rich things you've ever eaten.

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Roasting the shells is also a good idea, and I'd go for a full hour. Shellfish stocks aren't like regular fish stocks: They won't be harmed by extra time. In fact when I do this I simmer the stock for 3 hours and then refrigerate the whole stockpot overnight -- with the shells still in. Then I strain the next day, reheat and reduce.

[Rachel Perlow]

# Combine the lobster roe with a few tablespoons of room-temperature butter and mix thoroughly with a fork until a smooth green paste is formed. Add this to the chowder at the end of cooking and boil, while stirring, for one minute. The lobster roe, when cooked this way, will turn everything a delightful shade of pink and provide further body and flavor to the chowder.

I'm confused. I learned from my recent lobster experience that lobster roe is black when raw and bright orange-red when cooked. How are you getting a green paste? The liver is green, is that what you meant to say?

[Fat Guy]

Here's a photo of raw lobster roe mixed with butter:

[Rachel Perlow]

Did the roe look black before mixed with the butter? I suppose it could have just been really dark green and when dispersed in the creamy butter it would appear lighter.

[Fat Guy]

Could be that it's dark enough green to look black when undiluted. Could be a chemical reaction with the butter. I'm not sure. Somebody must know.

[chappie]

I'm going to have to say I don't think that is roe. I think it's the tomalley/innards mixed with butter. The roe is definitely blackish when raw and orange when cooked. I made a compound butter with tomalley and roe and you could clearly see the orange flecks of roe standing out. It was lovely.

But I am resurrecting this thread mainly to ask users for uses for lobster stock. I just made a batch with the carcii of four large lobsters. Roasted shells (hadn't done that step before) and cleaned the lungs and guts out of the bodies. Simmered for 40 minutes very gently with aromatics and a bit of white wine that reduced in the beginning before I added water. In the past I always cooked my seafood stocks way too long and I think when you do that with crustaceans some nasty compounds end up coming out of the shell material.

Anyway, I don't plan on suddenly acquiring some more lobster meat, so I'm looking for nice options without lobster. Any fish that goes especially well with lobster for a soup/chowder? What about a shrimp chowder or bisque?

[heidih]

I find the shrimp and lobster tastes really different. To preserve the lobster "ness" I would try a bisque using a firm white fish like monkfish (often said to taste like lobster) as the garnish. I thought that many lobster bisque recipes actually grind the shells to add flavor so you may be past that type of prep. I would also be tempted to use it in an Asian style noodle soup with rice noodles, a few greens and herbs, and something like rock shrimp or langoustines as garnish as I find they lean more to that lobster taste. I would even consider squid or crab before shrimp. Let us know what you do. Must be tough having lobster stock to worry about

[Bojana]

Hi,<br /><br />some questions about making lobster stock and using lobster, apologies if I missed the answers somewhere<br /><br />-What are the bits that should be removed before chopping and roasting/sauteing the shells? Eyes? Lungs? Rinsing the part between the head and body? Any others?<br />- Should lobster be cooked or blanched before peeling? What are advantages or disadvantages of cooking first?<br />-How long in advance can you peel and store the meat?<br /><br />Thanks<br />

[Plantes Vertes]

How long in advance can you peel and store the meat?

Depends on your willpower

Two days max.