Don't Throw Out Crawfish Shells After A Seafood Boil, Do This Instead

A seafood boil with some shrimp, crab, and definitely some crawfish makes for an incredibly delicious meal that can feed a big crew. And whatever other ingredients you add (corn, potatoes, maybe even a little sausage) will come out deliciously seasoned from the shellfish. To guarantee your seafood boil wins every time, you need to get good, fresh seafood and maybe make friends with the local fishmonger. And, if you haven't been raised in the tradition, you may need some tips on how to eat crawfish like a pro (you should know how to properly pull the tails off).

But, once all those crawfish shells and heads are all stripped of meat and sucked of flavor, don't just throw them away. Instead, use them to make a delicious stock. Chowhound reached out to an expert on the subject to give us some exclusive advice on the topic. Chef Darren Chabert is the chef de cuisine at New Orleans' Saint John (@saintjohnnola on Instagram), and he certainly knows how to get the most out of every part of the crawfish to create some incredible Creole dishes. Chabert says, "[C]rawfish shells from a seafood boil are an excellent base for making a flavorful, rich stock. The shells and heads contain significant flavor, and when combined with the leftover seasoning from the boil, they produce a deeply aromatic and savory stock."

To make homemade stock from leftover crawfish shells, chef Darren Chabert says you can roast the shells after the boil, if you'd like, but it's not necessary. Whether you do or not, the next step is essential: "[I]n a large pot with lots of water then bring [the shells] to a boil and reduce to a simmer," he says, noting that cooking them for about an hour should be plenty of time. You can use water from the tap, but using some leftover from your seafood boil will add even more flavor. And you should also use whatever vegetables and spices you'd like to up the flavor further. Chabert recommends onions and bell peppers, celery and carrots, and halved garlic, along with parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and coriander. "I don't use the veggies from the initial boil because they don't off much flavor to the stock," he adds. "Just eat those."

Chabert says the stock is a great foundation for dishes like seafood bisque or étouffée, and it's another key component to your seafood gumbo (in addition to the roux, of course). But going beyond the Creole focus, he says, "It would be wonderful in a risotto, or even a pasta dish. Yummm. Hungry just thinking about it." So, for your next seafood boil, don't just throw those crawfish shells away, follow this chef's advice and use them to make a whole new dish.