Lobster stock- A great base for sauces and soups
Hello Foodies, this week recipe is about going back to basics. Often people ask me how do I make such a good sauce or soup or even what is the secret to your risotto? The Key is always to make a good stock (Broth). But what is a stock? Imagine a tea bag, you place some herbs in a liquid to infuse for a certain amount of time. Well this is the same concept with bones or shells with some herbs and vegetables to extract a maximum of flavour. I have been a head sauce chef for few years and perfected the art of sauce. This week I am sharing my recipe for a great lobster stock. I use the same ingredients and cooking time for prawn shell too. Yes, I use the shell of the lobster, crayfish, crabs, sea spider…. From now on you will NEVER Ever through your shells again but extract all the flavours from it to create the base of your sauces, soups and seafood risotto… Imagine a great sauce Armoricaine, lobster sauce, Lobster mornay, lobster bisque, give a twist to your chowder soup. Pasta marinara with lobster stock, bouillabaisse, seafood soup, seafood pie, seafood risotto … The recipes are endless. The best is you can make a big quantity once every now and then when you get your hands on a lobster. Divide the lobster stock into containers and freeze it for up to 6 months. Always in hand when you need it. So, there it is for you, made with my left-over Lobster Happy cooking wherever you are.
Servings: 20 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 60 mins
Ingredients
    This recipe makes for 5 L of Stock
  • 2 Lobster (Shell RAW only-Keep the flesh for another dish)
  • 2 Tomatoes (large)
  • 2 Carrots
  • 2 onions
  • 3 Garlic cloves
  • 1 orange
  • 30 g Tomato paste
  • 10 ml olive oil
  • 4 Parsley stalks
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 50 ml Cointreau (or Pernod )
Instructions
  1. Get those lobster shells nice and clean... Generally i plan my first dish with the lobster tails. On that day i was making a lobster risotto. So i have decided to keep the flesh of the tail apart and cook them separately. This left me with the entire shells and heads... So no wastage i knew i was going to make a stock to use for my risotto but also to keep in the freezer for whenever i need it.
  2. Cut the head in half length way and clean quickly the inside under fresh water. You want to remove all the brown stuff in there.
  3. Rinse it all and keep the shells in the fridge until need it.
  4. Meanwhile gather all your other ingredients.. The tomato paste is missing in this photo.
  5. Peel your onions and garlic.
  6. Peel your carrots
  7. Smash (bruise) your garlic with the side of the blade and cut roughly the carrots of 2 cm cube.
  8. Dice the onions of 2 cm cube as well.
  9. Cut the tomatoes and orange into 6 wedges.
  10. Grab a large sauce pot and add a bit of olive oil
  11. Heat up the olive oil on a very high heat
  12. Once the oil is very hot, add the shells first into the pot and you sure here a big sizzling sound ... you know the PSCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sound.
  13. Wait 30 seconds and give it a stir.
  14. Wait another 30 seconds and give it another stir. You want all the shells to start Blushing, going red-ish. Keep going until they are all red
  15. Once all the shell changed colours, it is time forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr show time. (Watch out for the exhaust fan at home). Add the Cointreau or Pernod
  16. And Flambé, Flambéed, Firework in the pot
  17. Wait for the flame to disappear and add your onion. Give it a stir and cook for another minute.
  18. Add the garlic and cook for another minute and give it a stir.
  19. Cook for 2 minutes or until you can start to smell the garlic and onion releasing their flavours.
  20. Add all the other ingredients, orange, tomatoes, carrots, parsley stalks, bay leaves.
  21. Cook for 2 minutes (always on high heat) and keep stirring to really mix all the ingredients and help the diffusion of flavours.
  22. Add about 6 liters of cold water.
  23. Add the tomato paste.
  24. Give it a good stir.
  25. Bring it all to a boil.
  26. Give it another stir. and Reduce the heat to a low heat. We want the stock to simmer. Just small bubble motion on the edge of the pot.
  27. Now let that cook and infuse for 28 minutes.
  28. Every five minutes, Using a ladle, skim the top of the liquid. This is important to keep your stock as clear as possible and remove any impurity.
  29. Keep simmering and skim the top every 5 minutes and remove any form of foam on top. You will loose a bit of the liquid but do not worry too much about that.
  30. See the edge of the pot? we lost about of liquid through skimming and simmering, but that is fine.
  31. Now prepare a colander and a bowl underneath. Using the same ladle just pass through the stock. Transferring from the pot to the bowl through the colander or fine strainer.
  32. Keep going until it is safe to lift the pot.
  33. Pass through the entire liquid.
  34. Look at that rich infusion.
  35. Nice and clear, and the smell of it. To cool it down faster. Transfer the liquid into plastic containers and place in the fridge.
  36. Then Place a lid on top and keep in the freezer.
  37. As mentioned earlier i used it for my risotto.
  38. Yummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. it was Delish Happy stocking everyone Bon Appetit Frenchy
Recipe Notes

DO not Ever season a stock with salt and pepper. Always keep it plain. You can always ask me questions on instagram... cookingwithfrenchy