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How to make a delicious batch of shrimp stock with the leftover shells, heads, and tails removed from the wild shrimp you buy from local fishermen or seafood shop. Ready in only 30 minutes to enjoy sipping on its own or as a base for gumbo and chowder.
One of the best things about shrimp stock is that it is ready in only 30 minutes!
Shrimp stock also called shrimp broth is not only fast, but it also is amazingly flavorful and as you can see from the photo. It often turns out a very rich orange-pink color as well.
In fact, the batch I made shown in the photo is the exact color of fresh-squeezed guava juice!
If making a seafood-based stock has not been something you’ve been able to bring yourself to try, start with shrimp broth as it is a more agreeable task to many. Lobster stock or crawfish broth are other delicious option.
Here is a snippet of me skimming a pot of shrimp stock to give you some idea. A longer, detailed how-to video is provided below along with the written recipe.
Shrimp Sourcing Tips
It is important to source only wild shrimp (we buy our jumbo pink shrimp directly from the fisherman right off the boat!). This is actually far easier in some locations than non-oily fish heads for fish stock. It can be easier than sourcing bonito flakes for a basic bonito broth recipe too.
Whatever you do, always avoid the farmed shrimp and pay extra for the truly wild ones. Beware of deceptive language too…“sustainable” seafood emblazoned on the label is usually lingo for farm-raised.
The conditions of farmed shrimp are nothing short of horrific in many instances. Much of it comes from third-world countries with little to no regulations of any kind. One Florida shrimp fisherman told me that farmed shrimp in Asia often swim in polluted, toxic pools with “free range” chickens walking on open-air platforms above them. The chicken droppings fall directly into the water as “feed” for the shrimp!
Once you have a quart of homemade shrimp stock ready, use it to make this delicious island-style conch chowder recipe.
Wild Shrimp Stock
How to make a delicious batch of shrimp stock with the leftover shells, heads, and tails removed from the wild shrimp you buy from local fishermen or seafood shop. Ready in only 30 minutes to enjoy sipping on its own or as a base for gumbo and chowder.
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds wild shrimp heads, shells, tails only
- 2 quarts filtered water
- 1/8 cup white wine vinegar or ACV
- 1 carrot optional
Instructions
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Remove heads, shells, and tails from the wild shrimp and place in a 1-gallon pot. *If you've never removed the head of a shrimp before, it's easy. Simply place your index finger and thumb on the crease between the bottom of the shrimp head and the top of its abdomen and twist.
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Add filtered water and optional chopped carrots. Stir in vinegar.
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Bring the pot to a boil on the stovetop, skimming off any white foam as it rises to the top.
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Once the stock is boiling, turn down to a very low simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. Simmer the stock longer to improve the flavor if desired – up to 3 hours.
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Strain the stock, cool and use immediately or store for several days in the refrigerator in a glass jar. Freeze what you will not use in a few days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Crawfish may be substituted for the shrimp.
Homemade apple cider vinegar or commercial ACV packaged in glass bottles may be substituted for the white wine vinegar.
More Information
My Youtube playlist of over ten videos on all aspects of making stock and bone broth
Turkey Broth
The Healthiest Bone Broth
How to Make Duck Stock
Homemade Beef Bone Broth Recipe (chicken broth recipe too)
5 Reasons Why Your Stock Won’t Gel
Stock versus Bone Broth
Meat Stock Recipe
The Perfect Simmer on Your Broth
wow you cook like i do!
We just used kelp flakes with our chicken…it sure does make the recipe!
You can make shrimp stock with just the shells and tails and no heads … it won’t be as flavorful or colorful though.
Hey, thanks! What a great idea… yes, I’ve been caught out with not enough stock while on GAPS!
What if you can’t find shrimp with the heads?
Seafood is so expensive in Colorado. At least wildcaught is…
Never even made it before. Just odds and ends from the refrigerator and freezer. Real Food can be very simple and blows away anything at a gourmet, high end restaurant.
Never even made it before. Just odds and ends from the refrigerator and freezer. Real Food can be very simple and blows away anything at a gourmet, high end restaurant.
mmmmm that sounds really good!
My mother use to save all the shrimp shells from wrapping won ton and add it to stock for extra flavor. But from what I remembered, it was only boiled for a few minutes after the stock had already simmered for hours and it did make the stock sweeter and more flavorful. My concern is the oil in the shrimp heads. By the color, I assume it is omega 3 and I heard that it’s best not to cook Omega 3, or at least not for long or in high heat. The Chinese do eat shrimps with heads on, but usually in a quick saute quick boil in soup. They would saute the entire shrimp and slurp out the juices in the head. If you pull the shell off of the head, you’ll see that there is meat there too, and also a lot of nutrition, that is not found in any other part of the shrimp. When I first started adding shrimp heads to my stock, I noticed that it did make the stock richer, but if I left it in for the entire bone broth process, it would lose it’s sweetness and impart an off taste after simmering for a day, which left me with the quandary that perhaps cooking fish and shrimp so long might actually be oxidizing the omega 3 and if it is, what would be the optimal amount of time and heat needed to cook the broth long enough to get the minerals out without degrading the oils? Maybe the answer is no longer than 3 hours. If anyone has an answer to that please let me know.