Great shrimp stock to use as a base for gumbo, étouffée, or any other seafood dish. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and thaw it as needed for later use.
Ingredient
shrimp shells from 2 pounds of shrimp, or to taste
½ cup roughly chopped onion
¼ cup roughly chopped celery
¼ cup celery leaves, or to taste
1 medium lemon, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves
8 cups cold water
Direction
Combine shrimp shells, onion, celery, celery leaves, lemon, garlic, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves in a saucepan. Pour in water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, skimming off foam as necessary, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Strain and discard solids. Use immediately, or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze for later use.
