If you ever look in my freezer you'll see to-go containers filled with veggie scraps, herb scraps, and seafood shells waiting to be used or reused. I finally got around to using these scraps after a few months of STOCKing up (ahhhh we have fun here....). Here's the visual, with written instructions below:
Ingredients:
Carrots
Celery (celery leaves have SO much flavor!)
White onion
A few cloves of garlic
A small knob of ginger (I forgot to add this in the video but you can never go wrong with ginger)
Parsley Stems (this is what I had on hand but add as many herb scraps as you can!)
2 Bay Leaves
Seafood Shells or any bones (I had 1.5 quarts of shrimp shells on hand but adding even more will yield even more flavor!)
A couple tbsps tomato paste (tomato paste is excellent especially in seafood stocks to add another level of umami flavor and acidity)
Optional: MSG
Directions:
Halve the onion and garlic and grill or broil until they start to char. Meanwhile, cut the carrots and celery into 2" pieces and add to a large pot on medium high heat for about 5 minutes. They should also start taking on some color, so do make sure to stir a couple times in between. After the carrots and celery gain some color, add in the onion, garlic, herb scraps, bay leaves, ginger, and shells/bones. Cover completely with cold water, and set the heat to high.
Once the stock has boiled for about 20-30 mins, turn heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1.5 to 3 hours. This is also a good time to add in the tomato paste.
TIP #1: Letting it simmer for longer periods of time will 1) reduce more liquid and 2) achieve more flavor.
TIP #2: Wait to salt your stock until the very end. Salting a stock at the beginning will only make it saltier overtime as it reduces.
Once your stock has been simmering for about an hour, you'll notice a foamy layer start to form on the top of the stock. Using a flat spoon, skim this layer off every 15-20 minutes to remove any impurities.
When your stock reaches your desired color and flavor, remove from heat and strain over a mesh strainer and/or cheese cloth. Using a cheesecloth will also help remove any remaining impurities. Now would be the time to salt the stock. I also added some MSG to 1) add salty flavor without additional sodium and 2) more umami!!