Seafood Stew with Lobster Broth
Although the new year starts on January 1st, it always feels like Labour Day is truly the beginning of the year. I still get excited about the idea of fall: buying binders, pens & paper, and thinking about the sweaters & boots I am going to enjoy digging out of the closet again. And it will soon be the right type of weather for hearty soups & stews!
On digging into things: the SO and I have been busy doing that as we have about 3 months to consolidate the contents of two fridge freezers + one chest freezer into one small unit. I am the queen of throwing left-over bones into a freezer bag & then into the freezer to later turn into stock…and those bones have come back to haunt me in the last few weeks.
Last weekend, I took the remains of two roast ducks and made stock – first time I’ve done this, following my usual chicken stock MO, and ended up with 1.5 litres of very gelatinous (albeit with gorgeous colour and aroma) duck stock. I will definitely put it to use but would love to know if anyone has any tips / thoughts on how to make duck stock that is more liquid-y?
And yesterday, I pulled out a bag of lobster shells with the goal of making lobster stock, which I have never done before. Not much different than making any other kind of stock but I did pick up a great tip online which would work for any type of shellfish stock. Break up the shells before hand into large chunks (if they are not already in pieces) and roast the shells for 10 minutes (at 400 degrees) before making your stock. Amazing tip for adding flavour to your stock, and one I will definitely try in the future for meat bones as well…
We dined on a wonderful fragrant rich seafood stew last night so all is well in my world as I head into September. The freezer(s) actually don’t seem less full but I am looking forward to making lots of soups & stews with all that stock over the next few months…
tea & tamarind 
Drooling. Funny, I’ve been dreaming of chowders and hearty soups too. Our bodies know, before we do, that the seasons they are a changing 🙂
I know…I can’t wait for soups, stews, casseroles, etc. 🙂
I don’t think the stock should be more liquid-y. Your gelatinous mixture is a good sign you got all the best stuff from the bones. Of course, if you add more water, it won’t gel so much, or you can dilute it after cooking. I just learned a new tip which should apply to duck too – add some cider vinegar when you cook it, as it helps bring out the collagen from the bones which I want especially for making ramen noodles. I am doing that now with some chicken bones. Your seafood stew looks delicious. Happy New Year.
Thanks Hilda! Like the tip about the cider vinegar…will have to try it next time (there are still bones in the freezer to be used up…)