Italian Homemade Shrimp Stock

By alightfoot

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 T Butter, yogurt butter or butter buds powder
• 3 cups raw shrimp shells
• Any “scraps” you have saved and frozen from onions (green or regular), carrots, celery, fennel, bell peppers, or any other you like, and stems and other scraps from herbs
• 5 cups water
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2-3 T tomato paste

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from newitalianrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Warm olive oil over medium-low heat in pan with cover.

Add butter or substitute, then add vegetable and herb scraps.

Cover and cook 10 minutes (or less if you are in a hurry. Actually, the longer you can draw this process out, the more of the natural juices of the scraps will be released. This is awesome flavoring. Add a pinch or two of salt to speed the process.)

Add frozen or fresh raw shrimp shells and tomato paste. Simmer until shells turn pink. Add water and simmer until reduced by about 1/3. (2/3’s left)

Strain out vegetable scraps and shrimp shells. Add lemon juice, and you have fresh, homemade, shrimp stock! Use within a few days or freeze.

This homemade shrimp stock can double as fish stock or clam juice in Italian or any other ethnic recipes. You can reduce this shrimp stock for more intense flavor.