Homemade Seafood Broth Recipe

Here’s a simple homemade seafood broth recipe made with shellfish, vegetables, herbs, and some spices. This super simple seafood broth recipe is perfect for making soups, stews, sauces, gravies and so much more! 

The best part is that is versatile, so if you don’t have all the shellfish listed below, you can substitute with what you have on hand.

Seafood broth recipe

When it comes to broth, chicken broth, and beef broth are more popular and thus more widely used than seafood broth. In fact, not many people seem to use seafood broth…but oh how they’re missing out! 

Made in just over an hour, this easy recipe for seafood broth is made with the classic crustacean combination of lobster, crab, shrimp, and mussels and is a recipe you must make if you want the delicious flavors of seafood in recipes like seafood gumbos, paellas, etc. You can even enjoy it on its own since it is seasoned to perfection and delicious!

What’s more, just 1 cup of this broth can take a seafood dish to the next level and I’ll show you how to make this simple recipe for seafood broth that you’ll want to keep stocked!

Types of seafood that can be used to make broth of seafood

Ingredients for seafood broth

• 8-12 cups of water
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 lobster or lobster tail
• 4 crab legs or 2 whole crabs
• 4-6 large mussels
• 1/4 pound of peeled shrimp
• 1 teaspoon of oregano leaves
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 1 bunch of cilantro

How to make seafood broth

Start by cleaning all the seafood under running water to get rid of dirt. Then pour 8-10 cups of water into a large pot.

Next, add all the seasonings, onion, garlic cloves, parsley, and cilantro into the water and let it come to a boil.

Note, sometimes I like using this easy homemade seafood seasoning mix to make my seafood broth recipes instead. You can try it out if you prefer. 

Place the lobster, crabs, shrimp, and mussels into the boiling water, reduce the heat, then simmer for 1 hour. 

Strain the broth.

Pour into mason jars.

What is seafood broth good for?

Seafood broth is very versatile and can be used to make many recipes. Here are a few ways to use it:

• It makes a wonderful addition to seafood sauces like this recipe for seafood boil sauce, Blove sauce, crab boil sauce, etc.
• Seafood soups and stews like fish chowder, clam chowder, okra stew with shellfish, shrimp stew, etc.
• Gravies 
• You can also use it to make seafood boil recipes like this delicious seafood boil with, mussels, shrimp, lobster, and crabs or this easy lobster seafood boil recipe.
• Also, it is the perfect substitute for chicken broth in recipes like gumbo, jambalaya, etc.

Storing seafood broth

FAQs 

What is a seafood broth?

Seafood broth is an infusion of shellfish or seafood that is simmered in water, vegtable, herbs and spices to make a flavorful based for seafood recipes. 

 

What is seafood broth made of?

Seafood broth is made from shellfish or other type sof seafood like fish. It also incudes herbs, spices, vegetables, water and optionally dry white wine.

 

Is seafood stock the same as seafood broth?

 

No. Seafood stock is not the same thing as seafood broth. Seafood broth has a richer flavor, is seasoned well -since it is often consumed on its own- and is made with actual seafood or shellfish. Seafood stock on the other hand is made using seafood carcasses or bones, it is also less flavorful.

 

Lastly, if you’re looking for some good substitutes for seafood broth, then you can click the link here to find 6 great options. 

 

Continue to Content

Homemade Seafood Broth Recipe

Yield: 12 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Here's a simple homemade seafood broth recipe made with shellfish, vegetables, and seasonings. This super simple seafood broth recipe is perfect for making soups, stews, sauces, gravies and so much more! 

Print

Ingredients

• * 8-12 cups of water
• * 4 cloves of garlic
• * 1 medium onion
• * 1 lobster or lobster tail
• * 4 crab legs or 2 whole crabs
• * 4-6 large mussels
• * 1/4 pound of peeled shrimp
• * 1 teaspoon of oregano leaves
• * ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• * ½ tablespoon of salt
• * 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• * 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• * 1 sprig of parsley
• * 1 bunch of cilantro

Instructions

1. Start by cleaning all the seafood under running water to get rid of dirt. Then pour 8-12 cups of water into a large pot.
2. Next, add all the seasonings, onion, garlic cloves, parsley, and cilantro into the water and let it come to a boil.
3. Place the lobster, crabs, shrimp, and mussels into the boiling water, reduce the heat, then simmer for just 1 hour. 
4. Strain the broth and pour it into mason jars.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1179mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 29g