Shrimp stock in a pressure cooker (and how to use it!)

Although I imagine you already know What is fumet and how is it prepared?, with the recipe I'm bringing you today, I suggest a different and very interesting option to enhance many dishes: a shrimp stock in a pressure cooker. A broth full of flavor that is an ideal base in many other recipes.

In case you ever wondered what is the difference between fish stock and fumet, the answer is the intensity of the flavor; you could say that fumet is a concentrated broth. Obviously, it can be cooked in the traditional way, but I assure you that at prepare it in a pressure cooker we need fewer shrimp, less water and less time to achieve a very concentrated broth with a more intense seafood flavor in just a few minutes.

This shrimp stock it's perfect to use as base for a wide variety of dishes. You'll see that preparing it when you're going to use it doesn't take much time, but it's never a bad idea to have a jar in the freezer. It's worth taking advantage and buying the shrimp when they're at a better price and then making the stock. Once strained, Can be frozen without any problems and it will be ready to use when the dish requires it.

Before starting with the recipe, so you can see everything you can do with it, I suggest some ideas for how to use shrimp stock.

How to use and make the most of shrimp stock

1. As an excellent base for seafood soups and bisques. Shrimp stock is an ingredient that will add an intense taste of the sea to your seafood soups and bisques and is a perfect starting point for the preparation of the bisque, a truly exquisite creamy soup of French origin.
2. It is the perfect ingredient to elevate paellas and rice dishes of seafood. Replacing water or a mild fish stock, a good shrimp fumet like this one enhances the flavor of the seafood and gives the dish an exquisite touch.
3. For fish or shellfish risottos, the shrimp stock is perfect to add as liquid during cooking. The resulting flavor is delicious and full of flavor.
4. Also for the pasta al "frutti di mare". Any pasta, preferably fresh, cooked this way is spectacular. By adding the prawn stock, it becomes the perfect recipe for any seafood lover.
5. As broth for the béchamel for fish or seafood croquettes. Try making it with fish stock instead of milk. The result: a velouté sauce that will give your croquettes an impressive seafood flavor. This sauce also works wonderfully if you want to surprise with some shrimp, seafood, or fish cannelloni.
6. For preparing sauces. If you reduce the fumet, you'll concentrate its flavor even more. This way you can use it as a base for sauces to accompany fish and seafood. It's wonderful in creamy or butter-based sauces.
7. In mixed surf-and-turf stews. Whether it’s legume dishes like verdina beans with clams or shrimp, or meat stews like meatballs with cuttlefish, the touch of flavor that fish stock adds is delicious.

As you can see, it's a perfect base in a wide range of dishes and preparations. These are just a few ideas, but there are surely many more recipes in which this stock can be a wonderful ingredient to elevate the final result.

So you can try it, here is the recipe for the shrimp stock.

How to make shrimp stock in a pressure cooker

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion or 1 leek
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 220 g of paella shrimp
• 80 ml of brandy
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 liter of water

Preparation

1. Put the pressure cooker at high heat (we have used the Fissler Vitavit Premium model) and add the tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Add the onion cut into large pieces, or the leek, and the two cloves
   whole garlic with skin, lightly crushed.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple more minutes.
5. Add the brandy and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
6. Add the water and the salt, and cover the pot.
7. Set over high heat until it reaches pressure 2. When it reaches the
   pressure, lower to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and, once the pressure has dropped, open the pot and strain the stock.
9. With the help of a chinois strainer and a wooden pestle, or by using the Vegan Milker® by Chufamix, press the cooking remnants (the shrimp and the vegetables) to fully extract the broth and juices. This way the liquid will be filtered, preventing solid bits or impurities from falling into the stock.
10. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container until you're ready to use it.

Notes

• As with other broths, we can freeze it and have it ready to use whenever we need it. For rice dishes, fideuás, or creams and stews based on seafood. It can also be the perfect base for a delicious fish soup.
• We can freeze all the stock in a single container or freeze it in cubes. If we do it the latter way, we can portion it out more easily to use as a base, according to the servings we want to prepare.