The Instant Pot is a great hands-off and easy way to make seafood or shrimp stock. Use this Instant Pot Shrimp Stock for soups, stews, or any seafood dish including Cajun and Creole dishes like étouffée, whether you make them in the Instant Pot or not.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
If you’re making a seafood-based dish that calls for broth, you don’t need to buy it. And don’t substitute chicken or vegetable broth! Instead, use a homemade shrimp stock.
The Instant Pot allows you to make this seafood stock without babysitting it like you would on the stove. Just turn it on and leave it to do its thing!
I use Instant Pot Seafood Stock for seafood bisques, stews, soups, and Cajun dishes like jambalaya, étouffée, and gumbo. It works great even in clam chowder.
Tips and Substitutions
Seafood Types
You can use any shellfish shells (e.g. crab, lobster) or even shrimp heads.
Frozen Shrimp Shells
I save the shrimp shells when I make shrimp dishes and store them in the freezer. Then, when I have enough, I use them to make stock – no need to thaw, I put them in frozen.
Flavorings
Add your choice of herbs and flavors including thyme, lemon slices, salt, black pepper, or Creole seasoning.
Pressure Release
If you have the time, you can cook the stock for 1 hour and do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR). This will allow the flavors to develop even more. Read more about the different kinds of pressure release.
Doubling
Make a larger quantity of Instant Pot shrimp stock by doubling the recipe. There’s no need to change the cooking time.
Freeze Stock
Freeze stock in ice cube trays and store in freezer bags to use later.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
FAQS
You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze the stock in ice cube trays and once they’re solid, store the cubes in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Add vegetables like carrots or garlic and herbs like thyme or parsley for even more flavor.
Instant Pot Shrimp Stock Ingredients
Here’s what you need for this recipe:
- Shrimp shells
- Parsley
- Celery
- Onion
- Bay leaves
- Water
More ingredient details are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Shrimp Stock in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Stir all ingredients together
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Drain the stock
Stir all ingredients together
- Pour water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add shrimp shells, parsley, celery, onion, bay leaves.
- Stir to combine.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 30 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘30′ (30 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 30 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 30 minutes (00:30).
- Press ‘Start’.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
Drain the stock
- Set a colander in a medium bowl and drain contents of the inner pot into the colander.
- Transfer the seafood stock to a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 3 days, until ready to use.
Instant Pot Shrimp Stock | Seafood Stock
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- Shrimp shells from 2 lbs shrimp (1 kg of shrimp shells)
- ½ cup parsley packed
- 1 celery stick, cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 small bay leaves or 1 large
Instructions
- Add water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add shrimp shells, parsley, celery, onion, bay leaves.
- Stir to combine.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes and do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
- Set a colander in a medium bowl and drain the contents into the colander.
- Transfer broth to a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 3 days, until ready to use.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. peeled shrimp, cut vegetables, etc.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Shelley says
What a good idea – I love that I can use the shrimp tails to make this broth. I freeze the broth in an ice cube tray and use it recipes as needed.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m glad you liked the recipe – thanks for taking the time to comment!