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Home » Main Course Recipes » Soup & Stew Recipes

Seafood Stock Recipe

Published: Apr 29, 2022 · Modified: Jul 11, 2023 by Brooke Fajcz · This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission.

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Have you ever wondered what to do with your shrimp shells?  Instead of throwing them away, make our seafood stock recipe.

If you are looking for recipes to use seafood stock, try our chicken, sausage, and shrimp gumbo and our chicken and sausage jambalaya.

person holding a bottle of seafood stock
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Store
  • Expert Tips
  • More Southern Recipes You'll Love
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for seafood stock

The ingredients for our seafood stock recipe are pantry staples that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.

  • Seafood shells: We used shrimp shells for this photo shoot but you can use crab or lobster shells too.
  • Aromatics: We used yellow onion and garlic.
  • Vegetables: We used celery and carrots. The carrots will boost the sweet flavor.
  • Liquid: We used white wine to deglaze the pan, but sherry or brandy are good substitutes.
  • Spices: We used fresh parsley and thyme sprigs, bay leaf and kosher salt and black peppercorns.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make

person stirring shrimp shells and simmering stock
  1. Over medium high heat, heat up the oil in a large Dutch oven and cooked the shrimp shells, onions, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes then add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 10 minutes then deglaze the pan with some white wine, by scraping the brown bits off with a wooden turner.

2. Next, pour in the water and add the fresh and dried spices.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour.

person removing shells from the stock

3. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a pot or bowl.  Use a ladle to put the shells and veggies in the colander.

4. Strain the liquid from the vegetables and shrimp shells by pouring it through the colander.

person pouring seafood stock into a glass jar

5. Pour the seafood stock into airtight containers and refrigerate until needed.

6. Use in a recipe, or freeze in plastic bags until ready to use.

Seafood stock is not only simple to make at home, it's low cost, freezer friendly, and healthy. Try making our recipe the next time you have shrimp shells.  You won't be disappointed!

Recipe FAQs

What is seafood stock made of?

Start with leftover shrimp, lobster or crab shells, then add some aromatics. Use white wine, brandy or sherry to deglaze the pan and throw in your vegetables, fresh and dried spices and pour in the water.

How long is seafood stock good for?

It keeps in the fridge for up to a week or it can be frozen for up to two months.

What does seafood stock taste like?

It has the essence of shrimp (if you used shrimp shells), the the flavor is balanced out with the other flavors that are used in the stock - the vegetables, herbs and the white wine.

Is seafood stock the same as fish broth?

Fish broth is made from pieces of fish (cod and pollock) and not fish bones. It is simmered longer than stock so it tends to be thicker. Seafood stock is made from shells of shrimp, lobster or crab. It is simmered for an hour then strained.

Serve

Seafood stock is most commonly used in soups and stews like crab soup, gumbo, and seafood chowder, but it would also taste delicious in jambalaya, shrimp and grits, risotto, and paella.

If you're looking for other tasty seafood recipes, make sure to try our recipes for New England clam chowder, cream of crab soup, and New Orleans gumbo.

Store

Make Ahead: This recipe can be made the day before you need it.

Leftovers: Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze: Make sure the container is airtight and has room for expansion when it freezes. To use in sauces, flash freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to a zip top bag. It should keep for up to two months.

Expert Tips

  • Don't toss leftover shrimp. Rinse under cool water and store in a zip top bag in the freezer.
  • Peels from the onion deepen the color.
  • Cook the shrimp shells with the aromatics.
  • Simmer for one hour.
  • To use in sauces, flash freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to a zip top bag.

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Recipe

person holding a bottle of seafood stock

Seafood Stock Recipe

Are you curious how to make seafood stock?  This homemade recipe is healthy, low carb, and simple, and makes any gumbo or soup something delicious.  All you need are shrimp shells, carrots, onions, celery, and some spices to make this freezer friendly stock.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 5 cups
Calories: 107kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cup yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup unpeeled carrots, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • shrimp shells and tails from 2 pounds fresh shrimp, rinsed
  • ⅓ cup white wine
  • 2 quarts filtered water
  • 10 fresh thyme sprigs, rinsed
  • 3 fresh parsley sprigs, rinsed
  • 15 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Equipment

  • Dutch oven
  • wooden turner
  • cheesecloth
  • colander
Keep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

  • Rinse the shrimp shells in a colander under cold water, then drain.
  • Pour the olive oil into a large pot and set over medium high heat.  Stir in the onions, carrots, celery, and shrimp.  After 5 minutes, add the garlic, turn down the heat to medium, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Deglaze the pan by pouring white wine onto the bottom of the pot.  Scrape off the flavorful cooked bits of food, called a fond, with a wooden turner.
  • Stir in the water and spices, then increase the heat to medium high and cover with a lid.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for one hour.
  • Line a large colander with cheesecloth or paper towels and place it over a pot or bowl to catch the strained stock.
  • Pour or ladle the liquid into the colander, discarding the shrimp shells, veggies, and spices.  Transfer the reserved seafood stock into glass jars.  Let cool on the counter, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Freeze for long-term storage in freezer friendly containers.

Notes

  • Don't toss leftover shrimp. Rinse under cool water and store in a zip top bag in the freezer.
  • Peels from the onion deepen the color.
  • Cook the shrimp shells with the aromatics.
  • Simmer for one hour.
  • To use in sauces, flash freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to a zip top bag.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal (5%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 1472mg (64%)Potassium: 264mg (8%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 4517IU (90%)Vitamin C: 11mg (13%)Calcium: 58mg (6%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie

    December 11, 2019 at 9:54 pm

    Thank you for this recipe. I will try this for my Christmas bisque recipe. Love your site.

    Reply
    • Emma

      December 12, 2019 at 10:42 am

      We're so glad that you like our blog, Debbie! Let us know how your seafood stock tastes in your Christmas bisque. It sounds delicious!

      Reply
  2. Beth

    October 27, 2019 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    I learned a bunch from this post. I agree that seafood stock does improve the flavour of those yummy dishes you mentioned.

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 27, 2019 at 4:17 pm

      We're glad that you found this post informative, Beth! Making your own stock really does make a difference in taste.

      Reply

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Welcome to our kitchen! We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

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