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A friend of mine emailed last week and said she had some extra lobster bodies for stock — she didn’t have room in her freezer. I was thrilled to get them. Lobster stock is delicious, especially in seafood risotto or pasta dishes. You can also use it in seafood stews or soups, like cioppino.

This stock is also rich in iodine, since the thyroid is in the head and you leave the heads on when you simmer the stock.

You can roast the lobster bodies first if you wish. I did because I’ve heard it makes the stock more flavorful. It wasn’t that much extra work.

Ingredients:
Bodies of 4 lobsters
1/2 cup white wine
1-2 carrots, chopped into big pieces
1 fennel bulb, cored and quartered (I used fennel because it’s what I had; you can also use celery — just use 1-2 stalks)
1 yellow or white onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of thyme
1 bunch of parsley
Enough filtered water to cover the lobster by an inch

1. Add all the ingredients to a stock pot.

2. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

3. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

4. Cool and refrigerate, then transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.