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A bowl of seafood stock on a white and blue napkin with a carrot, parsley and spoon to the side on a wooden surface.
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Homemade Seafood Stock

Elevate any soup or stew recipe with this rich, savory homemade seafood stock. Made with plenty of seafood shells, fresh herbs and a punch of white wine, this stock is much more flavorful than anything you'd find on a shelf. Plus, making your own seafood stock couldn't be easier.
Course Soups
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 10 cups
Calories 10kcal
Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Ingredients

  • 7-10 cups seafood shells and bones see note
  • 4 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 1 leek white and light green part thinly sliced
  • 10 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 10 fresh parsley sprigs
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • Water
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread seafood shells on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 10 minutes.
  • Add the roasted seafood shells to a large pot with the garlic, celery, carrots, onion, leek, herbs and peppercorn. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients. Stir in the tomato paste and wine.
  • Bring the water to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Skim off the foam as it forms on the top of the stock. Keep simmering until the stock develops a rich seafood flavor, about an hour. You could even simmer for up to two hours, but know you won't get quite as much stock from the water cooking off.
  • Add about ½ tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of salt and taste. If it needs more salt, add more until your liking. Don't be surprised if you add more than you'd think. Stock tends to need a decent amount of salt.
  • Line a larger strainer with cheesecloth and strain the stock from the shells and aromatics. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can use a variety of shrimp shells, crab shells, lobster shells or fish bones. The amount of seafood shells is just a guideline because they can be a bit awkward to measure. Generally, I add leftover shells to a gallon zipper bag that I leave in the freezer. When it's full, I make stock. Sometimes that bag is so full it barely zips, and other times it's filled but not bursting at the seams. You have leeway here.
  • The exact amount of stock you'll yield varies based on the amount of water used and how much cooks off.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 10kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 550mg