Get even more use out of your crab, shrimp, and fish by making this easy Instant Pot seafood stock. It’s the perfect base for soup, pasta, and sauce.
When you use the Instant Pot to make stock, the flavors are stronger, bolder, and they even last longer. This versatile stock is easy to use in a variety of different recipes whenever they call for a broth.
Homemade is always better than store-bought, and that’s very true about this seafood stock, too.
If you’ve ever been intimidated with the idea of making soup base, don’t be! The Instant Pot does all the work for you. When it’s finished, you have a flavorful, aromatic base that is ready for cooking.
Do you like to meal prep? I do! And as part of my usual routine, I make homemade stock a couple of times a month.
We make mostly chicken stock but also love to make turkey stock (especially after Thanksgiving!).
I keep a gallon-size ziplock bag in my freezer to store seafood shells (shrimp shells, lobster shells, crab shells) and vegetable scraps (carrot peels and ends, onion and garlic skins, celery ends, herb stems) when I cook.
When the gallon bag is full, I make seafood stock!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
Easy: This recipe is easy enough for beginner cooks to follow. All you do is add everything to the Instant Pot, hit a few buttons, let it do its magic, and then strain and store it.
Lowers Food Waste: It’s made with whole ingredients and is a perfect way to prevent food scraps from going to waste. Boiling the seafood shells with the leftover vegetable pieces extracts all that flavor so you can use it again.
Versatile: When it’s finished, you have a seafood stock that you can use in a bunch of other dishes.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Seafood shells - Use anything you have, from shrimp shells to lobster tails and even crab shells. This is what makes the stock a seafood stock and it infuses the broth with extra protein.
- Vegetable scraps - Add any vegetable pieces that you have kept from other recipes. This is a great way to use leftover onion, celery, carrot, and even tomatoes.
- Water - This is the base of the stock and what makes up the liquid portion.
- Herbs - Add your favorite dried or fresh herbs. Thyme, bay leaves, pepper, basil, and sprigs of parsley are all delicious in the stock.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Forget about canned stock that is high in sodium or babysitting broth while you watch it simmer on the stove. When you make seafood stock in the Instant Pot, you can set it and forget it until it’s finished.
1. Place all of the ingredients into the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
2A. Pour just enough water to fully submerge the scraps and bones.
2B. Make sure no liquid or scraps go over the MAX FILL line! Keep all liquid and scraps under this line.
3. Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to SEALING and cook it for half an hour.
4. Allow for full natural release.
5. Carefully open the lid once all pressure has been released naturally.
6A. Strain the liquid into a large bowl.
6B. Get rid of the shells and veggie scraps.
7. Let the stock cool down and then store it.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make this on the stove. Place all the ingredients in a large pot and cover it with a lid. Let it simmer for about 1-2 hours on low, stirring occasionally. Then, strain it in a fine mesh strainer and store it.
Yes, use whatever seafood things you have leftover from other recipes. It’s a great way to use shellfish shells, crab, lobster, and even prawns and mussel shells.
It’s best to store it in an airtight container, like a mason jar, and keep it in the fridge. If you want to freeze the stock, put it in freezer bags and lay the freezer bags flat in the freezer.
Yes, you can. If a recipe calls for chicken broth or chicken stock, this seafood stock can be used in its place.
It only takes about a teaspoon or less of salt to enhance the flavors in all the other herbs and vegetables. To give it more flavor, add things like peppercorns and yellow onion instead of white onion.
🍽 Serving ideas
Use the seafood stock as a base for all of your favorite seafood recipes. It adds a unique flavor to shrimp and corn bisque.
It will also bring out the flavors in the Tuscan Shrimp Gnocchi.
Or cook your pasta in seafood stock, and your shrimp scampi’s flavor will be at the next level.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Instant Pot or other electrical pressure cooker
- Large heatproof mixing bowl
- Ladle
- Mason jars
- Souper Cubes
- Large freezer-safe gallon plastic bags
More seafood recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Instant Pot Seafood Stock
Ingredients
- 2 cups seafood shells shrimp shells, lobster shells, crab shells
- 3 cups any vegetable scraps (*see NOTES for what to use if you don't have any scraps saved up)
- ¼ cup herbs, such as basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf.
- 10-14 cups water
Instructions
- Place all of the seafood shells, vegetable scraps, and herbs into the inner pot of an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker.
- Pour enough water to fully submerge the scraps and bones. Make sure you do not have any liquid or scraps that go over the MAX FILL line! Keep all liquid and scraps under this line.
- Close the lid, making sure the valve is set to SEALING.
- Pressure cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. Allow for full natural release.
- Once all pressure has been released naturally and the pressure release pin has fallen all the way down, carefully open the lid.
- Strain out the liquid into a large bowl using a fine mesh sieve or strainer to catch the bones and scraps. Discard the shells and scraps into your compost bin or trash.
- Pour the remaining liquid stock into mason jars or other containers.
- Allow to cool down then seal, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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