Name: Seafood Gumbo Stock
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 455 min
Total time: 470 min
Ingredients: shells from 1 pound shrimp; 5 quarts water; 4 carrots, sliced; 4 onions, quartered; 0.5 bunch celery, sliced; 2 bay leaves; 3 cloves garlic, sliced; 2 sprigs fresh parsley; 5 whole cloves; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 2 teaspoons dried thyme

Cook Time: 455 minutes

Ingredients

This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly.

Shells from 1 pound shrimp
5 quarts water
4 carrots, sliced
4 onions, quartered
bunch celery, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs fresh parsley
5 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions

Follow these steps to create a flavorful shrimp broth:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Place the shrimp shells on a baking sheet and bake them until they are dry and starting to brown on the edges, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: In a large 8-quart pot, combine 5 quarts of water, sliced carrots, quartered onions, sliced celery, bay leaves, sliced garlic, fresh parsley, whole cloves, black pepper, dried basil, dried thyme, and the baked shrimp shells.
Step 3: Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 5 to 7 hours. During this time, check the water level, and if necessary, add more water 2-3 times by pouring it down the inside of the pot to maintain the liquid level.
Step 4: After 5-7 hours of simmering, remove the pot from heat. Carefully strain the stock, pressing all the liquid out of the shrimp shells and vegetables, then discard the solids.
Step 5: Return the strained liquid to the pot and simmer it on low heat to reduce it to 2 to 3 quarts, or to your preferred taste and strength of flavor.

Nutrition Facts

Each serving (1/8 of the recipe) contains approximately:

Amount per Serving	Calories	% Daily Value
Calories	112	-
Total Fat	1g	2%
Saturated Fat	0g	2%
Cholesterol	86mg	29%
Sodium	162mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate	12g	4%
Dietary Fiber	3g	12%
Total Sugars	5g	-
Protein	13g	26%
Vitamin C	19mg	21%
Calcium	121mg	9%
Iron	3mg	16%
Potassium	464mg	10%

Note: Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may vary depending on your specific calorie needs.

Comments

Allrecipes Member

10/06/2025 01:52:54 PM

perfect starter gumbo stock recipe! I wouldn't limit it to just shrimp shells though! Feel Free to add fish bones, crab shells or any other shellfish shells you have around. The best gumbo stock I make is almost exactly like this but we use leftover crawfish shells from crawfish boils done in Zatarains Liquid. It adds a real zing to the stock that really helps the gumbo.

Linda Gross

02/20/2019 08:08:00 PM

Thank you Sara for this recipe, I changed it by using Lobster shells, Snow Crab shells, & Shrimp shell. Roasted shells first. Omitted a few of your spices and added a few of my own to make Seafood Stock for a Seafood Soup. I won First Prize for "The Best Seafood" Category!

Nola Susan

05/27/2025 05:21:18 AM

7 hrs is way too long to cook this stock. A stock made from shrimp shells takes no more than 45 minutes. Cooking it longer destroys the shrimp flavor.

kimmy0316

05/15/2019 10:55:51 PM

I added a teaspoon of Zatterains Crab Boil to give it a kick.

TNBQUILT

01/17/2010 08:05:45 AM

Wonderful. I make this and pressure can it so that I will have it on hand whenever I want to make gumbo. Adding a fish head and some clam shells will make it even better, but I used only shrimp shells for a long time.

Dawn

02/23/2009 07:39:52 AM

I made this stock a few years ago to use as a base for gumbo for my Mardi Gras party. It was incredible and I beleive roasting the shrimp shells really makes the difference. I made shrimp etoufee this past Saturday for Mardi Gras party and wanted to use this stock but didn't have the time to roast the shells and then simmer for the 7+ hours to make it. I had a pint of some really rich shrimp stock I had made earlier using shrimp heads and shells and a pint of some rich home-made chicken stock that I added to the water. The house smelled so good and the stock was so yummy. I had some left and added some other ingredients for a small bowl of soup yesterday - Delicious!! Who wold have thought to add cloves? Brilliant!

OneNonBlonde

03/24/2012 09:19:43 PM

How lov-er-ly! Made this last night using parsley, bsil, thyme, and bay leaf from my garden. The only alternation was adding a 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning. Made Bayou Gumbo today, and it's GREAT with this stock addition, This a wonderfully fragrant and flavorful stock. Thanks for sharing!

Karen Young

06/20/2004 07:50:51 PM

Tasted like something from a café.

shaun in va

06/07/2007 02:52:35 PM

this took my shrimp gumbo to the next level...its a must!!!! i did cut back on the cook time a bit...was good after 4 hours...i did use twice the amount of shells then what the recipe specified

Eliza Solomon

08/07/2022 03:56:07 AM

Delishes yummy

Kim Johnston

10/13/2020 02:15:45 PM

Easy and so flavorful. I used more shrimp shells so I needed more water initially. Turned out great.

Triniece Maxine

11/12/2015 02:35:44 PM

Happy I stumbled across this one! Making first gumbo and seafood stock was used in the recipe couldn't find it at the store!! great base better than water and bouillon by far!

MsMoniqueaRenee

11/07/2013 01:35:01 PM

Loved it my gumbo was amazing

GREATGIG

11/09/2011 04:12:46 PM

Wow, this is incredible stock. I omitted the cloves as I didn't have any on hand but you'd never miss them. Used this for my gumbo and want an incredibly nice depth it added. Will definitely be making this one again and again.

nolagyrl

09/14/2011 08:48:57 AM

Very good, but use sparingly as it is real strong. I made my world's famous gumbo using this instead of chicken stock and everyone said it tasted too "fishy." Next time I will uses half and half with Chicken stock.

Metris

01/30/2011 02:34:23 PM

I wasn't sure about roasting the shells, but found it made a great difference. Thanks for sharing.

BettyJ

09/17/2010 01:54:14 PM

Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am making gumbo tonight & will have to speed it up into 4 hours however I am sure it will be amazing! I will post later with my results & photos!