Easy to Make Shrimp Stock (Prawn Stock)
Once you make shrimp stock, it will become a kitchen staple. It adds amazing flavor (like fish sauce!) to anything you put it in. It's super easy to make and freezes very well.
I've had these images of this shrimp stock kicking around for a while. The truth is, I thought I might lose your interest if I started posting things like prawn stock recipes. I know that it doesn't sound particularly interesting but please believe me when I say it is the best secret ingredient you will never again want to be without.
You won't want to eat it on its own, but when you add 1/4 cup to other recipes, it turns them from delicious to crazy insanely delicious. And no, the dish you add it to won't taste fishy in any way, just extra rich with a lot of depth.
Every year during spot prawn season (from May to June), I freeze all the heads from the prawns I eat. (This past year my friend Jen brought me two huge bags of just prawn heads. Thank you, Jen!!) After the season is over, I make up a big batch of this prawn stock then freeze it in snack-sized plastic bags in 1/4 and 1/2 cup portions. I generally have enough to last me until the end of the next spot prawn season.
Next time you buy prawns, freeze their heads or even their shells from their bodies. When you get a large resealable plastic bag full, you'll have enough to make a batch of this prawn stock.
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Recipes to use your shrimp stock:
- Dark Chocolate and Stout Braised Ribs
- Vegetarian Thai Curry with Udon Noodles
- Easy Baked Lasagna Soy Ginger Noodles
- Easy Vegetarian Chili (not vegetarian once you add the prawn stock, but it's even more delicious)
- Black Bean and Corn Chili with Avocado Salsa
- Creamiest Dairy-Free Tomato Cream Sauce
- Classic Tomato Cream Sauce
Shrimp Stock Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 large resealable bag full of prawn shells and heads, this does not need to be exact!
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Add enough water to cover everything by 2 inches. Bring the pot almost to a boil then reduce heat so that the water is just barely simmering. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.1 large resealable bag full of prawn shells and heads, 1 medium onion, 2 stalks celery, 2 medium carrots, ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
- Remove the pot from the heat then skim off the impurities (the white foamy stuff) from the pot with a spoon.
- Strain stock first through a large strainer, such as a colander, to remove the prawns and veggies. Next, strain the stock a second time through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Let stock cool completely then store it in jars in your fridge for up to 3 days or in resealable bags in your freezer for up to a year.
Keep it simple. Save the heads & shells, boil it all up , strain, strain again and you have a pretty decent shellfish/prawn stock. Keep it simple!
I love love my magic broth. Frozen in ice cube trays. So simple, so easy. But an amazing enhancer for so many dishes. And, you’re so right, the smell is horrible when it’s being cooked but so worth it. Thank you!!
Hiya, as you can’t re freeze raw prawn offcuts (unprepared prawns are found in the freezer aisle here, as far as I’m aware), can you fry them first (so they’re no longer raw) and then freeze them to make a stock at a later date when the weight to pan ratio makes it worth my while? Oh and any prawn variety works I assume?
Yes, you can! We save the shells from cooked prawns to make stock and they work well, too!
Trying this recipe as I wanted to use the prawn shells come out awesome and keen to put it into a curry and try it. I’m keen to see some other recipes to make with it also. And love the idea of blending the left overs for the chickens am also going to do that. Thanks again for the recipe.
My spotted prawns came headless and with roe. Can I make stock using these two items and no heads?
I wouldn’t use the roe. But save the shells of the prawns and you can use those. And if you don’t have enough shells to make the stock right now, just pop them into your freezer. I usually have a bag of prawn shells in my freezer that I keep adding to until I have enough to make stock. 🙂
Thank you Kristen! I appreciate your extra tips!
Once the stock is made, would there be any flavour advantage adding prawn paste to the sauce.
It’s very flavorful so I would think not. 🙂
Loved it and so good not to be wasting the shells. I love making curries & soups that as for a seafood stock. Now i have it on hand in my freezer. Thank you
You are so welcome!!
I was looking for a way to use leftover shells from some prawns we had and came across this recipe. It was perfect. Adds so much flavor to other recipes. Thank you!
That is so wonderful to hear! Thanks, Doug!
I have only used Prawn stock before making Chowder but I will certainly be incorporating it into other dishes having read all the material here.
Hi.
Used your recipe, but progressed it forward to four hours. Into a a new pot with white wine and reduced it to almost glutenous. The smell is amazing, I will most likely only need a teaspoon added to what I cook.
Kind regards
James.
Good call on reducing it!
For my chili prawn pasta I fry off the prawn heads then proceed to make the tomato sauce , simmering for a couple of hours .
Scraping off the foam cannot occur when done this way . Is that a problem?
It sounds perfect!
I kinda knew how to make this, but came here after a Google search and, yep, its exactly what i had in mind. I’ve made it and will prep to freeze it, then will go to a couple of the recipes you suggest to make with it.
I’ve always blended the prawn heads etc up for my chickens, they love it and its very good for them. After making this, I went through and picked out the prawn heads and carrot, scissored it small enough for my chooks.. great!
Don’t you love being able to make double (or triple) duty with the food you eat? It makes me so happy to know I’m not wasting food. 🙂
I leave out the veggies but add the seasoning, and also add a teaspoon of Shrimp and Crab boil liquid. Gives it a “kick”.
Also take some of the liquid and add a bit of gelatine, allow to set. Makes a lovely jelly to go with fish or seafood.
Will try with the veggies added next time
I love the idea of adding some gelatine. I’m going to do some of that with part of the stock next time for sure. Thank you for the tip!
Great stuff. Shucked 1Kg of good aussie prawns and thought what a waste to throw away the heads. Hey presto a quick google finds your website and now I have prawn stock for future soups.
I have made shrimp stock using the shells from the shrimp. I have never had prawns, but I am sure it would be very similar. I really love the stock that you get from doing this. I have used the stock in soup and was amazed at the flavor it added. Great post.
I loooove this! And yes, the smell of fish sauce is uh… interesting, but so necessary flavor-wise. I can only imagine what your prawn stock adds to a dish. I have to keep this in my t0-do files! 🙂
I just fish sauce in a lot of my cooking and imagine that this prawn stock must be very similar. It would nice to have a homemade version so I will have to try this out.
Hi Jura,
It is very similar to fish sauce, just not quite so strong 🙂 Hope you love it!