Homemade lobster stock question
I went to a fish market/restaurant that sells lobsters yesterday and asked if they had any frozen lobster carcasses for stock making and they were happy to oblige. The lady told me they usually save them for some of the local restaurants who ask for them too to make bisque. By the time I got home they had thawed a bit and when I opened the bag the smell was horrible - like really awful trash. I sifted through some of the bodies and none of the gunk was cleaned out which I'm presuming was the cause of the odor. My common sense told me to chuck them, which I did, but I'm just curious if these could have been saved by any chance or should I give them a call and say, you might want to double check what you're selling because you gave me a bad batch?
-
My parents live in Maine so we use lobster a lot. But smell is so subjective. Frozen and thawed lobster bodies have a smell. They are not the "salty brine of the sea" type thing you describe when you are talking about fresh fish/shrimp/etc. They kind of stink.
They shouldn't smell rotten but you know when you're using them. If you aren't "used" to it, I can see where even the "correct" smell could seem very off. So it is hard to say.
-
hotoynoodle
Feb 9, 2012 07:13 AM
a horrible smell is definitely not right. some aroma of the sea, yes, for sure. but if they smelled rotten i would tossed them too. boiling rotten food just makes rotten broth.
i use shells for stock and bisque, and the "gunk" is good to use. it adds flavor and gets strained out anyway.
-
penthouse pup
Feb 9, 2012 07:02 AM
I make stock from shells and my instinct would say trust your nose.(I freeze them and do know that there will be some odor.) Even if there were some sacs or left over tomalley, the smell should not have been so strong. (Of course some may argue that the shells get boiled, so what's the big deal but I would not have risked it--and for stock making, I don't go quite to a full boil.)
-
