Uses for sea food stock

[jpinmaryland]

Decided to make some seafood stock out of leftover shrimp tails and shells. Just boiled them a little. Is this okay to do?

What sort of sauces do you people like to make out of this? I know there are a whole lot of sauces based upon Veloute' using fish stock, which ones do you think are good? or sauces that are not based on veloute'. Thanks.

[AllenOK]

I've got some seafood stock in my freezer. I freeze the stuff in ice cube trays.

I really only use it when I'm making a seafood-based soup, like Seafood Gumbo (dinner tonight MMMMMMMM!), or anything that needs stock that has seafood in it. Sometimes, I'll mix some of the seafood stock with some chicken or beef stock, if I have both items in the dish.

[Bupo107]

To follow the last comment, etouffees or jamabalayas are great uses for seafood stock.

Also - a nice risotto can be perked up with seafood stock as a base.

[ironchef]

You can also use the shells to make a shrimp-infused oil.

For you stock, as a rule, use the shells from approx. 1 lb. of shrimp for every 4 quarts of water. For the mire poix, I like to use onion, celery, and leeks instead of carrots. Do not over-saute the mire poix, as it will discolor and overflavor your stock. For your bouquet garni, use 4 bay leaves, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 slightly crushed garlic cloves, 3 sprigs of fresh parsley, and 6-8 whole black peppercorns. Do not boil the stock for more than 35-40 minutes. That's all the time you need to extract the flavor from the shells. You can then use the stock for the following uses:

Seafood Soups/Stews (Chowders, Bisques, Boulliabases, Cioppino, etc.)
Seafood Pasta and Risotto
Reduce with White Wine/Cream to make a Seafood Nage
Reduce to make a Seafood Beurre Blanc
Reduce to make a Vinaigrette
Reduce to make a Shrimp "Foam" (you'll need a CO 2 cannister for this)
Reduce to make an Asian style dipping sauce

[kitchenelf]

Well Ironchef - you are still around - good to see you 8)

[ironchef]

Well Ironchef - you are still around - good to see you

Just been busy with work. Averaging one day off and 12-14 hours a day for the past 2 months. LOL this week is the first time since before the Holiday season that I got two days off.

[Bupo107]

Ironchef - impressive input. Thanks for all the ideas...

Could you give a bit of detail in the shrimp infused oil?

Gracias!

[jpinmaryland]

Shrimp foam!!! This sounds like something you put on squid ice cream.

[ironchef]

Basically you would rinse and dry the shells, then roast them in an oven until they just turn color. Use about the shells from approx. 1 lb. of shrimp for every 1.5 cups of oil. Try to use either Grapeseed or Sunflower oil, as other oils have too much of a flavor on their own, and will overpower the shrimp flavor. Once the shells are finished roasting, combine with the oil in a saucepan, and simmer for approx. 35-40 minutes. Strain well, then store in your refrigerator. It should keep for 3-4 weeks at least. Use it to drizzle over shellfish dishes to give it an added flavor. It's great with seafood salads using shimp, scallop, lobster, crab, etc.

If possible, use fresh shrimp and use the heads, as they contain the most flavor.

Other combinations could be: Shrimp-Lemongrass, Shrimp-Thyme, Shrimp-Ginger. You would add the fresh herb to the oil with the shells, and procede as normal.