A must-have kitchen staple for any self-professed foodie, this Easy Lobster Broth is the best use for leftover lobster shells I can think of and it adds great flavor to a variety of dishes for months to come!

Easy Lobster Broth Recipe

Some things are complicated by necessity.

Lobster broth is one thing that shouldn’t be complicated.

Making a good quality lobster broth should be a simple task – mindlessly thrown together after an indulgent meal of lobster, or as you quietly sip on a cup of coffee the morning after.

(If you won’t be able to make the lobster broth within a couple days of enjoying your lobster, stick the shells in a freezer bag and throw them in the freezer for up to 2 months.)

While you can toast the lobster shells for additional flavor, I find that sautéeing the shells in my stockpot and then a long, slow cooking of the stock draws out enough flavor that I don’t need the hassle of an extra step. I’ll include a note in the recipe card below so that if you want to try it both ways, you can do so.

Considering that lobster broth is mostly used as an ingredient in other recipes, I don’t find that baking the shells before preparing the broth makes any flavor difference – especially if you’re using it in small increments, like in a pasta sauce.

Uses for Lobster Broth:

• Lobster Bisque
• Risotto – shrimp, crab, or even a veggie risotto
• creamy pasta sauces
• gumbo
• seafood pasta
• fish stew or bouillabaisse
• Paella
• seafood dumplings
• Lobster Newburg

If you don’t want to use too much broth on a single recipe, you can use just a bit of this lobster stock to finish off your recipes or mix with a fish or chicken stock.

Check out our quick video showing how easy it is to make our lobster broth – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:

Lobster Stock Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil of choice
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 lobster shells, or 4 tail shells
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 16 cups water

Tip: Keeps refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 6 months. .

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring cups
• Stockpot
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Strainer/colander
• Cheesecloth, optional

How to Make Lobster Stock

There are a couple ways you can make this stock.

You can simply throw all of the ingredients in a stockpot (using half the oil) and simmer for 4+ hours, or you can take a bit more time at the beginning to sauté the shells and the veggies.

If sautéing, place all of the oil in the stockpot and heat to medium.

Place the lobster shells in the oil and saute about 5 minutes, stirring and scrapping up any browned bits as you cook.

Add the minced onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes (up to 8 minutes).

Add the garlic, carrot and celery, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, up to 2 minutes.

Add the bay leaf and water.

Cover and let the mixture come to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is halved, about 4 hours.

The broth in these pictures was simmered for 12 hours, and the flavor shows it! Taste as you reduce the liquid and stop when you feel the stock is perfect.

Pin this Simple Lobster Stock recipe:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our easy lobster broth recipe:

This lobster stock recipe is super simple and adds incredible depth of flavor to any seafood dishes that you add it to – and don’t feel like you have to only use it in lobster recipes!

For more lobster recipes, check out our simple Lobster Thermidor recipe or our Lobster Roll Sliders!