I used to throw shrimp heads and shells straight into the trash, thinking they were just useless scraps. It wasn’t until I saw a chef roasting them to make stock that I realized I was throwing away the best flavor. This recipe is essentially a rustic bisque—it extracts all that deep, briny sweetness from the shells that the meat itself just doesn’t have.
It does take a little patience to roast the shells for a full hour, and your kitchen will smell quite strongly of seafood (which I love, but my family has mixed feelings about), but the result is a broth with incredible depth. I finish mine with a swirl of heavy cream to cut the intensity, but yogurt adds a nice tang if you prefer a lighter bowl.
Ingredients
- ½ lb shrimp heads and shells (save these whenever you peel shrimp)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- Salt and white pepper (white pepper blends better visually and has a sharper bite)
- ½ cup heavy cream or plain yogurt for serving
Instructions
- Dry and Roast: Preheat oven to 280°F. Pat the shrimp shells very dry with paper towels. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast for 60 minutes. They should be dry, pink, and crisp like chips.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a pot, heat the olive oil. Cook the onions until golden, then add the celery, grated carrot, and tomato paste. Stir constantly for a few minutes so the paste doesn’t burn.
- Simmer: Toss the roasted shells into the pot and cover with the water. Bring it to a boil, then drop the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season: Add the salt, white pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Let it go for another 10 minutes.
- Blend: Use an immersion blender to blitz everything—shells and all—until it breaks down. It will look messy and gritty at this stage. (If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you can skip blending the shells and just strain the liquid, but blending extracts more flavor).
- Strain: Pour the soup through your finest mesh sieve. This is the most important step. You want to catch all the shell fragments so you are left with only smooth, red-orange broth.
- Serve: Reheat the broth if it cooled down. Serve in bowls with a swirl of cream or yogurt on top.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Waste Reduction: It turns something you’d normally pay to throw away into a luxury meal.
- Flavor Depth: You cannot buy stock this flavorful in a carton; the roasted shells add a complexity that is savory and sweet.
- Versatility: You can eat this as a soup, or use the concentrated broth as a base for a seafood risotto or paella.
Chef’s Tips for Perfection
- The Sieve Matters: When I say “fine mesh,” I mean it. If your sieve has large holes, tiny bits of shell will get through and ruin the texture. If you are worried, line your colander with cheesecloth.
- Don’t Rush the Roast: If you try to roast the shells at a high temperature (like 400°F) to save time, they will burn and turn bitter before they dry out. Low and slow is the only way.
- Salt Later: Shrimp shells can be naturally salty depending on where they came from. Taste the broth before adding any extra salt.
Storage and Reheating
This soup keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. It may separate slightly as it sits, which is normal—just give it a whisk while reheating on the stove. I don’t recommend freezing it if you’ve already added the cream, but the base broth freezes perfectly for months.
Nutritional Notes
This is a relatively light soup base, with most of the calories coming from the olive oil and the optional cream garnish. It’s rich in minerals like calcium and iodine extracted from the shells.
(Savory Shrimp Soup – Ready in 40 Minutes)
