
If a recipe ever calls for fish stock, chicken stock or bullion cubes will often work just fine. If you really want to be fancy, here’s how to make a decent shrimp stock. Next time on Crowded Earth Kitchen, we’ll use this shrimp stock to make an awesome clam chowder!
Ingredients
Shrimp shells and heads (as many as you can get)
Water
Vegetable scraps, optional (celery trimmings and carrot tops work well)

Directions
1: Put the shrimp shells in a pot with the vegetable scraps (optional) and cover them with water. (More water = more diluted stock).
2: Crush the heads with a wooden spoon in the pot, so they release an orange paste. This paste is packed with shrimp flavor.
3: Bring the stock to a simmer and let simmer for about an hour (they don’t need as much time as, say, a ham bone).
4: Strain into a freezer safe container, and, well, freeze until ready to use.

I never toss the shrimp shells without putting them to work first!