When the feasting is over, just don’t throw away leftover crab pickings, shells or shrimp shells. Rather, save the remains to make a quick and easy stock to use in soups, chowders and gumbos for the winter, or to make delightful butters and sauces.
A quick side note—rather than using only crab shells and leftover scraps of crab meat, you can use an entire crab, meat and all, to create a richer stock. Simply break the crabs in half before cooking and use approximately 8 quarts of water.
Crab Stock
- 8-10 crab shells (and meat leftovers), rinsed clean
- 1 cup of yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup of celery, chopped
- ½ cup of carrots, chopped
- 1 whole head of garlic, chopped
- ½ cup of white wine
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 6 quarts of cold water
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon of dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon of dried oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon of dried tarragon leaves
- ½ teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
- Handful of fresh parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- To begin, melt the butter in a large frying pan, then begin to sauté the onion, celery, carrots and garlic, slowly adding the wine in. Let the ingredients meld their flavors. As the vegetables begin to soften, add the crab shells and sauté them until they turn a bright red. Remove from heat.
- Next, combine the sautéed ingredients with the remaining herbs and water into a large stock pot and bring to a boil over a high heat. After it has reached a rolling boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, skimming off any foam that rises. Strain and discard the remaining shells and vegetables.
- Make sure to cool down the stock before transferring to any storage container. Before using, remove any additional fat that has risen to the top of the container. Frozen stock can last up to 2 months while fresh stock can last up to a week in the refrigerator.
Shrimp Stock
Making shrimp stock is very similar to making crab stock, however it requires much less water. Shrimp remains can also be collected and stored in a freezer bag until there is enough to use.
For shrimp stock, rinse off approximately 1 pound of shells and tails, and any heads if applicable. Skipping the sauté procedure, simply add all the ingredients into a pot and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. Make sure the stock cools before transferring to any storage container.
Enjoy the flavors of summer seafood all winter long!
