Whether cost is no object, or it's a once-a-year splurge, if you're buying and cooking a lobster you might as well get the absolute most out of it. This means saving the shells and boiling them into a savory stock that can be used for a myriad of other recipes!
| Prep Time | 5 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 Minutes |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
- shells from medium size lobster
- 3 quarts water
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 buunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 pinch of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Begin with 3 quarts of simmering water in a spacious stockpot. Rinse, break apart and add all the leftover lobster shell from the grilled lobster recipe, including the claws, legs, everything. The more shell, the more flavor.
- Quarter the onion and toss it in, along with the unpeeled cloves of garlic, smashed slightly to help release their flavor.
- Add the bay leaf and bouquet of herbs. You may tie the herbs into a bundle or leave them loose. It doesn't matter.
- Give a stir with a large, heavy spoon, stabbing down any large, floating sections of shell to help them submerge. Note how rapidly the surface foam takes on the coral color of the lobster shell. Maintain heat at a low simmer.
- Add the scant pinch of salt and several goods grinds of black pepper. Partially cover and continue to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, adding water if necessary to keep the shells submerged. Remember that we're only after the fragrant, colorful stock. All the lobster shell, onion and aromatics get discarded, but in the meantime they all ad tremendous flavor.
- When the stock has simmered pour it through a large, fine-meshed sieve and discard the solids. At this point you may use the stock immediately or transfer it to a storage vessel and let cool before refrigerating.
- The yield from this recipe will be very concentrated and the lobster flavor rather pronounced, so be prepared to dilute the stock with plain water - to taste - whenever you use it for cooking seafood-flavored rice, a fish sauce or whatever! Yield - 2 to 3 quarts.
Recipe Notes
This classically European broth is the basis for Lobster Bisque and a variety of sauces to compliment seafood recipes. We use it for our unique version of Spanish Rice.
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