Crab Shellfish Stock

I recently cooked up two brown box crab from OC Wild Seafood. They were delicious, you really cannot beat fresh crab. If you are interested in seeing how to cook a live crab, check that out here.

Whenever you cook crab or shellfish you are left with a lot of shells. Do not throw them out! Instead make homemade shellfish stock. It is so much better than store bought stock, and you can freeze for future use in seafood soups, chowders, sauces and more.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs of shells from shellfish – here I used the shells from 2 brown box crabs that I had just cooked
• ½ cup dry white wine like sauvignon blanc
• 1-2 tbsp salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of thyme

Preparation:

STEP 1.

In a large pot, add the shells from shellfish and enough water just to cover the shells.

STEP 2.

Add the remainder of the ingredients to the pot and place stovetop over medium high heat. Bring the pot to a low simmer, add the lid, and simmer for 1 hour.

STEP 3.

Once the hour is up, remove from the heat and strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the shells and vegetables, and store the shellfish stock in the fridge for up to 5 days, or the freezer for 6 months. Shellfish stock is great in soups, stews, chowders and sauces! It is almost impossible to find good shellfish stock in stores, so definitely make it if you have spare shells.