Shrimp Stock

I have a weakness, it's called cookbooks.  It's so bad that I purposely avoid cooking sections in bookstores because I inevitably want a new one and they are not cheap.  However, I have invested in many and one of the areas I always look at is the soup section and if they have stock recipes.  There is something comforting about soups and the backbone to most soups are stocks.  When a recipe started calling for a homemade stock, I would always panic!  I can't possibly make stocks, they seem so difficult and complicated to make.  Boy was I wrong!  You can make this soup staple yourself.  The first one I'm going to share is a quick one, Shimp Stock.


The following is a Fish Stock recipe that I have converted to Shrimp Stock.  I took a class, years ago, titled Soups and Stews and the chef shared many of his recipes.  I wish I could remember his name to give him proper credit, but for the life of me I cannot.  Anyhow, when I buy shrimp, I usually try and get it with the shells on.  I take the shells from peeling the shrimp and throw them in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer for use later.  When I have done about 3 or 4 pounds of shrimp, I have enough shells to make a huge batch of stock.  Okay, so here is the ingredient list:


Shrimp shells and tails (legs too if they are attached)
2 stalks of organic celery, cut into thirds
2 organic carrots washed but unpeeled, cut into thirds
1 yellow onion, unpeeled, cut into quarters
Bay Leaf
1 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of caraway seeds
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
5 to 6 whole black peppercorns
At least 10 cups of water


The secret to this stock is the caraway seeds.  By adding them to mixture, it takes the pungent fishy smell out of the stock and the house.  Now put all of these ingredients into a big stock pot.  Put enough water in to at least cover all the ingredients.  Bring the pot to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to a simmer over low to medium low heat.  You don't want a hard boil with any stocks, it will discolor the stock and can turn it into a gelatin when it cools.  It generally takes about 30 to 45 minutes.  You'll know it's done because the shells will be pink, the stock will be a yellow color and it will smell amazing.  Drain the solids from the liquid and discard the solids.  Cool the liquid or use immediately if desired.

Stocks do really well in the freezer.  After cooling, measure the stock into containers.  I like to put a piece of masking tape on the container and mark on the tape the contents, date and quantity (ex:  Shrimp Stock, 2/10, 2 cups).  Be sure to vary the size of your containers so you can defrost the size you need for your recipes.  Besides soup, stocks are great to make pasta sauces, or you can cook noodles or rice in the stock.  Enjoy!