Shrimp Stock Is My Secret Ingredient (and It Can Be Yours Too)

There are two things I almost never toss out when I’m cooking wild-caught seafood: fish skin and shrimp shells. The former is left on the fillets while cooking for juicier, more nutritious fish (and nearly always eaten afterward). The latter, the subject of this week’s newsletter, are infused into a quick, easy shrimp stock that becomes the secret ingredient in so many seafood recipes. 

As an enthusiastic cook, I always strive to achieve maximum flavor potential, and making homemade shrimp stock is one of the culinary tricks I use to achieve this. Soups, sauces, risottos, grits, curries, pastas, paellas, congees — in my opinion, all benefit from the addition of shrimp stock, which can enhance each dish with a subtly savory shrimpiness. It deepens the flavor, somehow transforming a simple dish into the grown-up version of itself. And unlike stock made from land-based proteins, shrimp stock takes less than 20 minutes to make. 

Beyond flavor and ease, I love the process of making shrimp stock — specifically, spot prawn stock — because it’s something I first learned to make when I was getting better acquainted with so many of the Alaskan species that have since become everyday staples in our home. At the time, it was 2020, the cusp of spring, and Arron (WAC founder + CEO) and I were hunkered down in a cabin in Homer with our young son. WAC had just started offering spot prawns to members as a brand new addition to our lineup, so our cabin’s freezer was packed full of them. 

While many of our friends were trying their hand at sourdough starter and refining their homemade loaf skills, I was busy riffing on spot prawns. I quickly discovered that lots of prawns meant lots of shells. And rather than discarding the shells outright, I did a little research and learned that they could easily be rendered into a light but delectable stock — liquid gold. In no time, the packs of spot prawns in our freezer were replaced with jars of spot prawn stock. It’s been one of my go-to ingredients ever since. Here’s how to make shrimp stock using any species of Alaskan shrimp that you have in your freezer. 

Being that it’s soup season, it’s an especially good time to make stock from your shells. But any time of year, the act of making shrimp stock is a rewarding way to connect more deeply with your membership to Wild Alaskan Company — a small act that, from your own kitchen, reflects our company’s mission to celebrate everything that this incredible Alaskan resource has to offer.

By the way, spot prawns are technically shrimp. But more importantly, they’re currently available as a member special. So stock up (get it?)!

Live Wild, 

Monica

Pictured above: A vintage snapshot of one of my first batches of spot prawn stock, poured into glass jars, illuminated by the light coming in through our cabin window.