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.
Lobster Stock Recipe
Ingredients
- lobster shells several pounds
- 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
- ½ fennel bulb chopped
- 8 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups dry white wine
- water
Instructions
- Crush the shells a bit with a hammer or meat mallet (or skillet). Brush with a little olive oil and roast in a 400° 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 1½ 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.
Online Sources: Lobster & Lobster Tails
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Do u use the head? It must have a lot of flavour?