Lobster Stock Recipe
How to Make Classic Lobster Stock at Home
Stock seems to hold a mystique for many home cooks. But, at the end of the day, stock is just a way to extract every bit of flavor and body out of ingredients. It’s a way to prevent waste.
If we start thinking of stock as more of a frugal technique and less of a rarefied art, I believe that more people would make stock, and our food would taste better. It’s why it is one of the first techniques they teach new students in culinary schools around the country.
While this “recipe” is for lobster stock, please know that you can substitute almost anything for the lobster: shrimp shells, fish bones, turkey wings, veal bones, roasted vegetables to make all manner of flavorful stocks.
Ingredients
Several pounds of lobster shells
Olive oil
Tomato paste
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
7 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
8 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 - 4 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups dry white wine
Water
How To Prepare At Home
Crush the shells a bit with a hammer or meat mallet (or skillet). Brush with a little olive oil and roast in a 400 degree F oven until they are bright red—about half an hour. They will smell awful, so make sure your exhaust fan is on or that you can open a window.
Brush some tomato paste on the shells during the last fifteen minutes of roasting.
Put the roasted shells in a stock pot along with the rest of your ingredients. Cover with cold water, and slowly bring the temperature up to a simmer. Adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer. Simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain and chill.
To save storage space, you can reduce the stock by half by gently boiling on the stove. Either way, store in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
How to Purchase Restaurant Quality Lobster Stock
Until now, classic lobster stock was unavailable to home cooks unless they: prepared it themselves, begged a professional chef for some or settled for a commercial brand loaded with m.s.g. and other chemicals
Now Available at Amazon.com
Online Sources: Lobster & Lobster Tails
So the old adage, "Buyer Beware" really rings true when it comes to buying live lobster . Unless you have a lot of disposable income, serving live lobster is an extravagant treat for a special occasion. Be careful to buy the best product you can afford so you don't end up with an inferior product. The links below are affiliate links.
Lobster Anywhere - I highly recommend you visiting Lobster Anywhere for lobsters & lobster tails. They have a huge selection of lobster tails from all over the world. They also have gift certificates that make great personal and corporate gifts. This way the person you are giving the certificate to can decide when they want to eat their lobster.
The Crab Place - Know for their crabs but another good resource for live lobsters and other seafood.
Lobster Gram - Lobster Gram is one of the biggest names in the online lobster market. They have a great looking website with full dinners you can order for yourself or send as gifts.
I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me...
Do u use the head? It must have a lot of flavour?