Homemade crawfish stock can be easily made from all those crawfish heads getting tossed out at a crawfish boil. Learn how to preserve this liquid gold for all those rich and savory creole recipes.
Crawfish Stock
Why should I rinse off the crawfish shells?
The crawfish shells used from a crawfish boil will still have a lot of seasoning on them which will overpower the stock. By rinsing off the crawfish shells you will the let the natural crawfish flavor come out.
Can I add salt to crawfish stock?
The crawfish stock will have a little bit of residual salt from the crawfish boil. Any additional salt will not be needed because you can add salt to the final dish you end up using the the stock in.
Can I freeze crawfish stock?
Crawfish stock freezes quite well. If you don’t plan on using the stock in a few days freeze any leftover for 6 months .
Step-by-Step
Rinse crawfish shells under cold water.
Pour 5 quarts of water and crawfish shells into a stockpot.
Combine rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain through a large colander first… 
then through a fine mesh strainer.
Crawfish Stock
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 quarts crawfish shells and claws
- 5 quarts water
- 1 yellow onion, quarted
- 2 celery stalks, sliced into thirds
- 1 head of garlic, top removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lemon, halved
- 20 black peppercorns
Instructions
- Rinse crawfish shells under cold water.
- Pour 5 quarts of water and crawfish shells into a stockpot.
- Combine rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain through a large colander first then through a fine mesh strainer.
- Use stock immediately or chill for later use.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
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