Lobster Stock

By Sam Sifton

Total Time
5 minutes, plus overnight simmering
Rating
4(294)
Comments
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This recipe will help you get as much as you can out of your lobsters. They’re expensive, after all. Luckily, the shells come in handy and allow for at least one more delicious meal.

Take this stock and use it as you wish. An excellent idea would be to infuse a risotto of uncommon flavor that would only benefit from the addition of chopped leftover lobster meat.

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Ingredients

Yield:Makes 6 or more cups
  • ½cup olive oil
  • Shells from 5 cooked lobsters, rinsed
  • 1onion, roughly chopped
  • 2bay leaves
  • 10peppercorns
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lobster shells and sauté for 1 minute. Add enough water so that the pot is ⅔ full, then add the onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for several hours or overnight. (The longer it simmers, the better.) Using tongs, remove and discard the large shells, then strain the stock through a fine sieve twice.

Ratings

4 out of 5
294 user ratings
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Comments

skyandstars

Sam, Please make a note for your readers that the head sac MUST be removed from the body before making this stock. Unless you live on the coast in New England and have cooked with lobsters for years, you would not know that the sac imparts an unpleasant flavor when cooked in a broth.

kniterati

Living in coastal NH and with a Labor Day birthday in the family, we most often eat lobsters on the porch around the holiday. I add two or three live lobsters to the guest count and cook them all. I strip the extras of their meat and either use it in a pasta salad right away or pack it tightly and freeze it. I take the leftover shells and chop them up and treat as Sam writes here then I freeze the stock and we have lobster stew on Christmas eve. Been doing it for years.

Nancy

This can be made in an InstantPot or other multifunction cooker. I had shells from three 1.5 lobsters. Sauté the shells as above (I used every bit except the sac behind the head, and the tomalley. I used about three quarts of water. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, and use natural release. Taste the broth. You may want to simmer to reduce a bit—depending on your preferred taste. This goes a lot faster, and doesn’t add smells throughout the house.

Ian

I slightly roast the shells in the oven and then crush them. The rest of the recipe is followed. It makes a wonderful bisque by simply adding cream to thicken and a little cognac

MerfromMD

I agree with another party that instructions on removing the sand sack, aka the stomach, should be included. The first time I made this I neglected this step and my stock was bitter. Second time, I think I removed it all and it was very much improved. Simmered my stock for about five hours.

Chicago Knitter

I followed the notes of others who made the recipe before. One thing that I will do in the future is to save the lobster water. I didn't decide to make the stock until after it had been tossed.

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