Lobster (Shellfish) Stock

This recipe works for lobster, shrimp, or prawn shells (crab shells don’t give up much flavor or color and are usually too hard to process).

Tossing raw shells in hot olive or canola oil in a frying pan for a few minutes to turn them red is passable, but I hate the flavor the shells tend to get (with the inevitable overcooking) in the oven. Boiled shells give a much subtler flavor.

If the shells are not cooked, steam them covered in a