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Quick Shrimp Stock

By Lawman Johnson

Published on December 17, 2021

Time

25 minutes

Yield

Makes about 1½ cups

Quick Shrimp Stock

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1½ cups shrimp shells1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 cups water

Before You Begin

Use this recipe as a guide. The quantity of water can be adjusted to accommodate fewer or more shrimp shells. The water should cover the majority of the shells in the skillet.

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and cook until spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain stock, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard shells. Stock can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.
Quick Shrimp Stock
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Hannah Fenton.

Quick Shrimp Stock

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Time

25 minutes

Yield

Makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1½ cups shrimp shells
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups water

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1½ cups shrimp shells
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups water

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1½ cups shrimp shells
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups water

Why This Recipe Works

In many of our recipes, we call for peeling shell-on shrimp, but given that those recipes often call for more than a pound of shrimp, that leaves a lot of shells behind. The shells are full of flavor, and you can turn them into a versatile shrimp stock, which can be used right away for making risotto, gumbo, rice, grits.

Before You Begin

Use this recipe as a guide. The quantity of water can be adjusted to accommodate fewer or more shrimp shells. The water should cover the majority of the shells in the skillet.

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and cook until spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain stock, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard shells. Stock can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

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