Save the Shells to Make the Base for the Sauce
This weekend my boyfriend and I made crab sauce – a red sauce full of delicious crab. Yes, there were huge chunks of Dungeness meat, but the real hero of the sauce was the crab shells , which we grinded and stewed with onions and fennel to create a very sharp base.
I’m not saying that meat was not an important part of the final product, but the meat is added at the last minute – to prevent the delicate protein from digesting in a saucepan of hot, sour, chopped tomatoes – and don’t have time to convey a lot of flavor. While “normal” crab marinara will still be delicious, crab crab sauce is even better.
We used Hank Shaw’s crab sauce recipe , but the method used to make the base can be applied to any sauce that requires a seafood flavor, and you can use almost any crustacean shell to make it. Shrimp, lobster, crayfish and other crabs found in your waters are great; You just need a heavy wooden spoon (or a metal potato machine). Mash the shells with fried onions, garlic and herbs, simmer, then strain and add to the sauce to taste. Hank’s base requires a little ouzo, which is not a bad idea; You can also use some wine or vermouth that has been in your fridge for the past couple of months.
How many shells do you need? Not so much. We made our base with three Dungeness seashells, resulting in about a liter of base, only half of which we used for a large batch of sauce. The base freezes quite well, though, so it might be worth keeping your shells (also in the freezer) until you have at least three crabs, six lobsters, or about 20 shrimp to cook a large amount at once. (It really stinks in the kitchen.) You can also combine seashells to get a base of several crustaceans – an idea that I think is good. To make this rich-flavored seashell water you will need:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- Seashells (about 3 crabs, 6 lobsters, 20 shrimp, or mix)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3-4 bay leaves, fennel bulb tops, or a few whole sprigs of any other herbs you think would be delicious with seafood.
- 1/2 cup of some alcohol, be it wine, vermouth, or ouzo
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium to high heat, add onions and cook until translucent. Add the shells and garlic and mash the first well with a large wooden spoon or potato grinder. Cook for about five minutes, then add bay leaves, fennel and / or herbs, and any alcohol of your choice. Add water to cover everything by about an inch, then simmer for an hour.
Strain coarse solids through a colander, then strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or paper towel. The next time you make a sauce that might have some ocean flavor, add a cup or two of the base. If making the sauce is not constant, simply freeze the base in giant cubes or small soup containers, then add them to future sauces as needed.