King crab stock/broth

[cymrullewes]

Alton calls it a broth when he uses seafood...

Bought some huge king crab legs last night from CostCo and ate them. Still have the shells.

Someone tell me how to make an excellent broth with them so I can have paella?

Comments

[kindkit]

Give the shells a good rinse and put them in a stockpot along with an onion, a couple of ribs of celery, and a carrot (all coarsely chopped). Add a clove or two of garlic, about a teaspoon of whole peppercorns, and herbs of your choice (for paella, I'd recommend a bay leaf, some thyme sprigs, and a big bunch of parsley, all tied together with string).

Add enough water to barely cover the ingredients.

Cook at a simmer for about half an hour to 45 minutes--longer than that and the broth will start to taste unpleasantly fishy. Skim the broth every ten minutes or so during cooking.

[anita_margarita]

I second this. You don't want to cook it endlessly (unlike chicken or beef broth) - a brief simmer with minimal flavorings is plenty. You could add a shot of white wine or vermouth if you wanted, but the essential crab flavor is really what you're after here.

[kint]

I'm going to ditto...as I recall from culinary school a fish 'fume' should only be simmered for about 45-1 hr

On a side note, I believe broth = meat and bones whereas stock = meat, bones, and other aromatics (mirepoix, etc)