Can I reduce a prawn/shrimp broth
I have a freshly made shrimp broth. Onions, parsnip, tomato paste and white pepper corns along with shrimp shells.
https://www.msc.org/where-to-buy/product-finder/products/cfpsproduct-19BA7EBA-B7E7-40E4-8C33-8566D3AF25A0 is similar to the shrimp I have used.
It was simmering for about 15 minutes, then I strained it.
It is my experience that more simmering makes it turn bitter or too compact (I'm lacking a better word).
Can I simmer/reduce the liquid to about half without imparting any off flavours?
Best Answer
Remove anything you suspect might affect flavour negatively (or, more simply, strain the whole caboodle), then reduce to concentrate flavour.
For fish broth, you shouldn't simmer the fish bones / heads for more than half an hour and I assume a similar rule applies for shrimp.
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What can I use prawn stock for?
For some serious spot prawn inspiration, here are 6 dishes that you can make that will put your spot prawn stock to great use:Can I use prawn heads for stock?
Basic Prawn StockFor good prawn stock, all you need are: prawn heads and shells, and water. That's it! In this recipe I included ginger, onion and garlic. In actual fact, you don't need these ingredients at all to have a nice, robust stock.How long can prawn stock be kept?
Let stock cool completely then store it in jars in your fridge for up to 3 days or in resealable bags in your freezer for up to a year.What can I substitute for shrimp broth?
Chicken stock is a wonderful substitute for seafood stock because of its distinct flavor and versatility. Chicken stock's pure white color enhances the seafood appearance in recipes. Concentrates, dried forms, and fresh stock are all types of chicken stock. Use fresh stock because it has a richer flavor.Stop Throwing Away Shrimp Shells!
More answers regarding can I reduce a prawn/shrimp broth
Answer 2
After reducing the liquid to 50% at a low temp, I noticed no off flavours.
Answer 3
If you just want a shrimp broth to serve as a soup with noodles etc the there is no need to reduce it a lot, just simmer it until you have the depth of flavour you want and then strain and serve.
If you want to use it as the base for a sauce or bisque then it may be useful to reduce it to concentrate the flavour, however you will want to strain out the liquid before you reduce it and bear in mind that you will be balancing the strength or the reduced broth with other flavours in a sauce to the base stock doesn't necessarily have to be something that you would want to drink by the cupfull.
Also with shrimp/prawn broths it's especially important to fry the shells well before you simmer them as it's this caramelization which creates the flavour that you want. This is a bit different from meat stocks where you need really long slow to break down the proteins.
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