This month, Eric and I have cut our food budget in half to try and save more of the rent we get from our exchange students. I have to admit that I’ve been slacking a bit in the food budgeting due to the excuse of needing more to feed the boys. But this month, I’m back on track, meal planning and everything. One of my favorite tricks for saving money on food is making my own homemade stock. So today, I’m super excited to share my method of using seafood shells to make a rich and flavorful seafood stock recipe.
A lot of seafood stock recipes I’ve seen use fresh shellfish, but that can get expensive. I like to stretch my seafood and think that I’d cry if I used up fresh shrimp or crab in a stock and didn’t get to eat them! I first learned how to do this from some friends I used to go crabbing with in Hawaii. They actually screamed when I threw my crab shells in the trash after dinner! Then they laughed, fished them out (fished, haha, no pun intended) and after rinsing them off taught me how to make stock from the shells. Because they were Chinese, they used Shaoxing wine in the stock, so that’s what I use although sherry or white wine are more common.
It might take a while to save up enough shells for seafood stock, but it’s worth it, trust me! You can use shrimp shells, crab shells, lobster shells, even fish bones. Once you’ve made the stock, you can use it in any recipe that calls for any kind of seafood stock. That’s right, lobster shell stock, shrimp shell stock, fish stock; whatever they ask for, you’ve got it covered right here.
There are two main steps in getting the perfect stock for a seafood soup. The first is roasting. This really enhances the flavor in the shells and makes them sweet and caramelized instead of fishy. The second step is boiling, which pulls all that amazing flavor out and into the liquid.
You may notice in the photos that I have two pans full of shells. That’s because I made a double batch! I save up my shells in gallon ziploc bags in the freezer. One bag packed full is about the 5 cups you need for this recipe. I had two bags so made two pots of stock.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering where to find recipes using seafood stock. Well, of course I have one to share with you soon (a tasty seafood risotto), but in the meantime, there are lots of bloggers out there with recipes to try. You could use this stock in Jen’s Seafood Gumbo, Matt’s Seafood Paella, or Elise’s Cioppino. I haven’t had a chance to try the recipes yet, but I trust these bloggers and have all three recipes in my meal plan for the month!
about 5 cups (or about 1 1/2 lbs) seafood shells (shrimp, lobster, crab, or fish skeletons)
1 yellow onion, unpeeled and quartered
2 carrots, unpeeled and cut into chunks
1garlic clove, unpeeled
1/2 cup Shaoxing Wine (or dry sherry, dry white wine)
1 TBS tomato paste
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 handful of parsley
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
Instructions
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place shells in a baking pan and roast for 5-8 minutes, until they begin to turn golden.
Place shells in a large stockpot, cover with water no more than half an inch above the level of the shells. Add onion, carrots and garlic.
Heat on high until small bubbles rise to the surface. Reduce heat to medium and cook for one hour. From time to time remove any scum (gray bubbly foam that stays on the surface) by scooping it off with a spoon.
After one hour, add wine, tomato paste, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Refrigerate for up to two days, or pour into plastic containers with at least one inch of head room and freeze up to six months.
Notes
Approximate cost/serving:This cost really depends on what seafood shells you use and what price you got them at. For instance, shrimp shells or fish bones will be much cheaper than lobster shells. To calculate the cost, I looked at how much my seafood cost and considered using the shells in stock as 1 serving of the seafood. For example, let’s look at one lobster tail. I stretched one lobster tail to feed four people in lobster macaroni and cheese, so that lobster tail made 5 servings. I got it on sale for $8 so it was $1.60 toward the cost of my stock. Shrimp shells are much cheaper. Twenty shrimp shells were only $1! One batch of seafood stock cost me about $6, at twelve cups of stock that’s still just50 cents a cup.
Vegetarian/Gluten Free:If you eat seafood there is no other meat and it’s totally gluten free.
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Nutritional and cost information is for estimating purposes only, and subject to variations due to region, seasonality, and product availability.
* Both raw and cooked shells are a wonderful addition to the seafood stock pot. Stock made of shrimp, crab and crawfish shells is one of the secrets of Cajun cookery. Lobster, clam and mussel shells make wonderful stock as well.
Seafood shells and bones: Seafood shells provide tons of briny, sweet flavor in this stock. You can use any combination of shrimp, crab, and lobster shells - or fish bones.
To make this creamy, flavorful crab bisque, you will need to make some homemade shellfish stock, so it pays to keep your leftover shells and freeze them until you have the occasion to make the stock. Making stock isn't hard, like making chicken stock, it just takes time.
1 gallon bag of frozen shrimp shells. 2 tablespoons oil (or butter) 1/4 cup each diced onion, carrot, and celery. Seasonings (fresh or dried herbs, peppercorns, hot chile powder, or anything you want)
Mussel shells are perfect for - of course - stuffed mussels. They also make a great cooking and serving vessel for many other appetizers. (I use them mostly for appetizers because of their size.)
In gardening, crushed oyster shells act as a natural barrier to deter slugs and snails, protecting delicate plants from these common pests. Water Filtration and Purification: The porous nature of oyster shells makes them an effective medium for water filtration and purification systems.
Generally speaking, they're the same thing. In the culinary world, fish broth is more commonly referred to as fish stock. But in recent years, the words “bone broth” have become sort of an umbrella term, used mostly by health and food bloggers, for all types of broths and stocks.
Supports Joint Health: Crab shells are a rich source of chondroitin sulfate, a compound that has been shown to support joint health and reduce the symptoms of arthritis. Boosts Immune System: Crab shells contain a type of carbohydrate called chitosan, which has been found to have immune-boosting properties.
In an article by Southern Living on the topic of crabs, culinary experts say: “It's best to freeze crab in the shell, or in preparations such as crab cakes or casseroles for up to three months.
Just as we outgrow our clothing, crabs outgrow their shells. Prior to molting, a crab reabsorbs some of the calcium carbonate from the old exoskeleton, then secretes enzymes to separate the old shell from the underlying skin (or epidermis). Then, the epidermis secretes a new, soft, paper-like shell beneath the old one.
If you peel your shrimp for a dish before you cooking, don't throw away the shells. You might as well be dumping flavor down the drain. The exoskeleton is packed with rich sugars that easily react and infuse into water, which makes it a prime choice for the fastest stock you will ever make.
The fish heads have lots of flavor but if you can't handle it just use the shells from the body, you'll just have to use twice or triple the shrimp shells. I collect my shells and freeze till I have enough to make stock with.
If you're going to spend on the money on lobster, shrimp, or crab, or even enjoy whole fish, you might as well reap the benefits of fresh, homemade seafood stock when you're done. Once made, you can store seafood stock in a freezer for up to 6 months until needed.
Chicken broth is a versatile and suitable substitute for fish broth. It won't have the flavor of the sea like fish broth, but it adds a background umami flavor that won't overpower other flavors in your soup. It's a common substitute in many seafood soup recipes.
The broth itself you can eat like soup or simply throw caution to the wind and either dunk your bread or place your bread on a plate and spoon the broth over it. Mussels can also be sautéed in the shell or out of the shell.
Mussels have darker blue or black shells that are more oblong in shape and can have an iridescent sheen to them. Oyster shells have a rougher texture than mussel shells and can be brown, white or gray. Oyster shells are a little more irregular in shape, too, especially when compared to clams or mussels.
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