Seafood stock, usually crab stock for me, is a mainstay in my kitchen during Dungeness crab season, which in California runs from November through June. Â But you can legally catch red and rock crabs all year long, and they make a fine stock, too. After picking the meat out of the crabs, I use the leftover shells to make this rich broth.
I find that the best bits for a good seafood stock are the shells from the legs, as well as the top shell. If you use the inner shell bits from the body, there’s a lot of fat in there that can cloud the stock. If you aren’t worried about that, go right ahead.
If you want a clear seafood stock, the easiest thing to do is freeze it, then let it thaw through a regular coffee filter, which will filter out the fine particulates that are clouding the stock. It takes a few hours, and you can do it at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight.
Another tip for a clearer stock is to never let it boil. Boiling will cloud a stock worse than most other stocks; not sure why that is.
Obviously you can make a seafood stock out of any crab, lobster or shrimp. I’ve done it with pretty much every species in North America, including the shells from snow and king crab legs. You can also substitute lobsters or shrimp for this recipe, too.
Use this stock in seafood soups and stews, as a base for a French crab sauce like Nantua (normally made with crayfish), or Crab Risotto or in Crab Curry.
Seafood Stock
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds crab, lobster or shrimp shells
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- Tops from 1 fennel bulb chopped
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, or a handful of dried, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and saute the vegetables over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste, stir well and cook over medium heat for another 2 or 3 minutes, until it darkens.
- Add the shells and bodies and smash them all with a potato masher. Mix well to coat with the tomato paste and to disperse the veggies. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a couple times.
- Add the white wine, bay leaves and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Let this cook for a minute or two, then pour in enough cold water to cover everything by about an inch; normally this is about 10 cups. Let this simmer very gently for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Add salt to taste.
- Turn off the heat. Set up another large pot or bowls and put a fine-meshed strainer over it. Line the strainer with a plain paper towel or cheesecloth and ladle the stock through this set-up into the large pot or bowls. Do not try to get the last dregs of stock, as this will be full of debris. Discard the shells, etc.
- Let the stock cool for 15 to 30 minutes, then use or pour into quart jars. The stock will keep for a week in the fridge. It will freeze well for 2 months, but after that it deteriorates rapidly.
Nutrition
Recipes for Shellfish, Squid, Octopi and Crustaceans
You can find all sorts of recipes for crabs and other shellfish right here on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook!
can you cook stock for 48 hours on a simmer?
Jennise: Seafood stock? Definitely not. It would be appallingly fishy then. I won’t even cook meat stock that long.
I just had snow crab legs and shrimp in a Louisiana boil. Can I use these shells for broth? They are soaked in garlic butter. Should I rinse them off or is there a way to use the sauce? Many Thanks.
Benita: Yes you can. I’d wipe them off mostly to remove the butter. The garlic flavor will be fine in the stock.
Thanks for the help, but even more for the speed of your reply.
Another great way to impart more flavor is to roast the shells first. Great recipe though on its own
I have 6 Dungeness whole crab that I froze about 2 years ago. The ice in the bag suggests the meat won’t be a good texture for eating but I hate to waste them. Could these be salvaged to make a stock?
Mike: Absolutely, but in case it’s too “crabby” smelling, add aromatic things like fennel/anise, parsley, onions, other herbs, etc.
Can this be made with shells that were already cooked? I’d like to try with the leftover shells from the king crab we are having tonight.
Christina: Absolutely. I do it all the time.
Can you recommend some recipes to use the stock in?
Sarah: Sure, rice, seafood soups, bisque. All are good options.
Are the shells ok in the fridge for a couple days after picking them clean? It’s hot and I’m 48hrs from a good drop in temps.
Chris: Absolutely. They’re good for a few days in the fridge and a long time in the freezer.
Would this make a good base for clam chowder?
Cate: A very good base for Manhattan clam chowder, yes. If you want it as a base for a New England chowder, leave out the tomato.
Is this raw shells or like left over boiled shells?
B: Either raw or pre-cooked works.
Do you recommend a brand of store bought stock that could be used ?
Lea: No. I don’t like store bought seafood stock.
This recipe looks delicious! You mention in your post that shrimp shells can be used in place of crab shells. I am having a very difficult time finding crab, so may need to use shrimp instead. How many peeled shrimp shells would I need to make the stock?
Karlene: Quite a lot. My advice would be to combine it with some fish skeletons and/or heads. You’d need the shells from about 3 or 4 pounds of shrimp. I peel and put the shells in a plastic bag in the freeze until I have enough.
So, crab shells only? Or do I have to use the shells with meat. Not sure I could do that with a Dungy. I would want to pick the meat first.
Kathy: Yes, shells only. I pick the meat, too.
Great recipe. I had many crabs left over from a town crab festival and I didn’t want them to be thrown away. I did not remove the parts described in the recipe and it Came out great! The broth has a wonderful crab taste without any odd taste or smell. I did boil the broth to concentrate it a little more. I’ ll use my broth for She Crab Soup.
Making this with brown crab or chancre crab from the Channel Islands uk. It’s just simmering now and smells delicious. Thanks for the recipe
I made this yesterday from dungeness crab shells from my Newport OR commercial fishing daughter’s take home pick. I only used the shells of the legs and body meat, and not the backs as in the recipe, although I did save a quart of the salted water we cooked the crabs in for the saltiness (we did take the backs and guts/gills off the crab before cooking). I was a little reluctant only because I hate to waste ingredients, meaning those used for the stock that had to be strained out. But I did have some bulb fennel tops from the last of my garden that needed to be used, as well as some carrots that had to have some bugs cut out. Literally all but 4 of the ingredients were Newport local. I was pessimistic on the first taste, before the gentle simmer, but was pleasantly surprised at the finished product. The shells that were strained out smelled like ammonia, but the broth had a nice depth and felt good on my stomach to sip on. Thanks for the guidance on making this crab broth! I would have never thought of making this.
Making this today with leftover king crab shells from New Year’s Eve dinner. Have not had good luck w/seafood stock in the past but this recipe looks foolproof. Wish me luck!
I’m using this recipe in my first attempt at crab stock! Had to make some subs – dried onion powder (home dehydrated) instead of onion, fennel seed instead of fresh, green peppercorn when I ran out of black…. We’ll see!!
help with a capital H, please!
So I decided to make fish stock, seafood stock lobster stock, etc!
so I went to the fishmonger and they saved me some fish heads and some lobster shells from the bodies
so I have them in the oven roasting because I
don’t know what to do with them ….they have
all this gunk inside I don’t know if I’m supposed (clearly this idea was lacking as I naively thought I was getting tail shelf which, in thinking it throughmakes no sense since the shell for the tail is attached to the tail they sell!! Now, I really don’t know what I’m doing here so I read your site and it says bodies and shells but am I supposed to scrape all that out?
is it okay to roast the shells and then clean them up and then put them in a stock pot and make stock? thanks for any input you may offer….. though this may end up in the trash simply because I don’t know what I’m doing
with it!!
Thank you!
Christy: No need to remove gunk at this point, although in the future you will want to remove the feathery gills on the insides of the crab and lobster bodies. You should be fine. Just strain the stock thoroughly.
Great refresh! You can freeze the stock until you can afford to buy more crab!
Crab Rissotto is dank with this stock as well as a bisque to make your wife cry! I’ll use it for Nantua so I can poach Lobster and prawn croquettes with cream fraiche garnish. Valentines day special! Go for it guys!
Here in Southeast Alaska we have a dungie season every summer, and try to get the limit each week of it. We’ll kill, clean, and cook them, and pick the meat, and set aside all of our shells. The shells can be put into a vacuum seal Food Saver [wrapped in paper inside the package] and thrown into the freezer. When it’s time for cioppino or other seafood soup we pull a baggie of shells out of the freezer and follow the above stock recipe. It’s a great thing to do to the kitchen on a cold winter’s day.
RHK: Mostly shells. I will use the roe, but not the guts.
Do you use just the shells or do you also include the guts?
I have become a stock fanatic in the past few years, but have still never gotten around to making a crab stock (which is odd for a Monterey boy now living in Hollywood).
When I do, yours will be the first one I try.
Thanks, Hank!