Reduced Lobster Stock Too Salty?

[BreezyCooking]

Okay, in a followup to my "MONSTER Lobster" cooking thread, I did save all the shells & make stock. Simmered them with water to cover along with celery, onion, garlic, & a small bunch of tarragon that was threatening to turn if I didn't use it soon. After straining out & discarding all the solids, I was left with a rather insipid - if slightly tarragon-infused - broth, so, as I frequently do with chicken stock, I slowly simmered it down from approx. 3 quarts down to approx. 1, assuming I could reconstitute it with additions of water & wine when I use it for whatever. However, when I tasted it, while it did have excellent lobster & tarragon flavor, it was SALTY as all getout!! I've never had this happen with any shellfish stock before. I didn't add any salt whatsoever, so can only assume that the uber-saltiness is just due to the concentration from the lobster? Will this dissipate somewhat when I add more liquid to it for use in say, a Bouillabaise or Cioppini, etc., etc.?

 

[SilverSage]

Breezy, more liquid would certainly dissipate the saltiness - but you might want to make sure the liquid is flavorful or you'll also dilute the flavor!

I find both crab and lobster to make very salty stocks. You may want to make some stock from shrimp shells to mix with the lobster stock - shrimp doesn't seem to be as salty.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Thanks. I figure that if I do make a Bouillabaise or Cioppino, fish stew, etc., I'll probably have some fish or shellfish stock to use in addition to the lobster stock. Will just have to be UBER careful to continue to taste that broth during the cooking process to make sure the salt doesn't take over.

 

[ChowderMan]

once I reduced a fish (poaching) stock - thought it would be good for a light white sauce.

it was awful - didn't get the salt problem but the taste was not even passable - I tossed it. I wonder if in general terms big reductions of fish don't do too well?

 

[BreezyCooking]

Well, this did have good lobster flavor with the underlying hint of tarragon that I wanted. It was just too salty in reduced form.

I'll just experiment with it in a recipe that doesn't have a lot of pricey ingredients in case I can't tame it down.

 

[buckytom]

breezy, instead of thinning it out with more liquid, think of using it in things like a starchy dish that can handle salt. lobster mashed spuds with unsalted butter, or paella, or lobster risotto.
going another direction, how about in a marinara sauce replacing the anchovy paste, or in a seafood cioppino/zuppa/fra diavolo del mar, in lobster flavoured pasta etc.

 

[High Cheese]

Just make a vegetable stock with a little extra carrot. Then cut the lobster stock with the veg stock. Lobster stock shouldn't be salty at all.

 

[High Cheese]

Here's how I make mine:

Have two pots ready on the stove. One pot for cooking the lobsters and the other pot for making the actual stock. I use my 20qt pot to boil 2-3 1.5 lb lobsters, remove and let them cool, then remove all the meat and reserve and shells and juice.

In the second pot I add: carrot, celery, onion, (leek, sallot, asparagus, etc.) parsley, thyme, bay, black pepper corns, bit of olive oil, and the shells/juice from the lobsters. Pan roast the veg until slightly brown and add about 1 cup of white wine. Reduce a bit then ladle in a few cups of the lobster cooking liquid. Reduce, then ladle in more. Repeat this process until you reach the desired taste of the stock. Strain through a fine seive and store. You wind up with some ultra lobster flavored stock you can use straight into a sauce, bisque or a fish stew.

Lobsters cooking away

Veg & herbs

With the shells

Reducing process, you can see the stock pot behind

Finished stock with a sauce I was playing with on the right.