Lobster Stock from Leftovers

My Lobster Stock recipe is here to turn food scraps into luxurious shellfish stock perfect for chowder, bisque, and more!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword easy, homemade stock, lobster, lobster stock recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 5

Servings cups

Calories 67kcal

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2 Tablespoons Olive oil, 1 large Yellow onion, 2 Carrots, 3 stalks Celery, 2 cloves Garlic
Add tomato paste and cook down for a few minutes.
1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
Pour in enough water to cover the shells by 2 inches (I used 8 cups total). Toss in fresh thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and your shellfish shells.
4 Shellfish shells, 3 sprigs Thyme, 1 Bay leaf, 10 Black Peppercorns, 2 teaspoons Salt, 8 cups Water
Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce to a simmer for at least 1-2 hours.
Once the stock is flavorful, strain the shells, vegetables, and peppercorns using a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
Chill quickly by placing the stock container in an ice bath. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for 2 months.

- Shellfish goes from delicious to inedible quickly once overcooked, so be sure to boil only very briefly and keep it at a gentle simmer!

- Don't fuss with the stock! Once it's all combined, stop touching it. Over-mixing can lead to cloudy stock.

- For extra flavor, sear the shells in the pot before cooking the veggies. The browning will make the stock extra flavorful. You can also do this in a roasting pan in the oven!

- If the shells contain whole heads (such as lobster or shrimp heads), remove any internal structures before adding them to the pot.

- Unlike other stocks, lobster stock cannot be made in a pressure cooker; the high temperature easily overcooks the lobster and leaves it tasting bad.