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All you seafood lovers know that a good lobster base is an important part of many great seafood dishes. The lobster base is a paste that is made from lobsters caught in the icy North Atlantic Ocean.
Once prepared into a stock, it has a wonderful aroma and taste of lobsters. It usually has a light pink color. You can purchase this product pre-prepared or make it yourself.
On the other hand, if you don’t have the lobster base available, you can switch to the lobster base substitutes suggested in this article. Let’s have a look!
Best Lobster Base Substitutes
1. Tomato Paste
While this might seem a little absurd, but it will work wonders for everyone who doesn’t have a lobster base on hand.
It provides a bright, fresh, concentrated tomato flavor that will work with any seafood dish and provide the characteristic pink lobster color.
The secret is to dilute it with the juice from a can of clams or crab meat to give it a lobster flavor. Adding a pinch of paprika helps balance the flavor and color too. Voila!
2. Lobster Bisque
Another alternative to the lobster base is a can of lobster bisque. There is literally no difference in flavor, color, and aroma between them.
If you decide to use a can of lobster bisque, it is a good idea to dilute it. Depending on your recipe, dilute the bisque with cream, seafood stock, or vegetable stock.
3. Try a Dash of Dashi
There are several kinds of dashi or Asian stock, but most kinds will work well as a lobster base replacement.
Dashi is made from a stock prepared from dried seafood like shrimp, scallops, and sardines, plus dried mushrooms and soybeans.
The ones flavored with chicken or vegetables will not offer the same taste profile so look out for the seafood one.
4. Miso
If you cannot find any lobster base in your supermarket, miso will be a fine choice. Miso is a Japanese fermented paste made by fermenting soybeans and other ingredients with a special mold.
It has a salty, umami taste that makes it a reasonable substitute for the lobster base. Thin it out with some stock, then when it’s hot, add a little butter to add richness and replicate the lobster base texture.
5. Shrimp
To substitute for the lobster base with shrimp, you will need to invest a little time and effort. In the section below, we will share the steps needed to make the perfect shrimp base:
- First of all, you need to simmer some shrimp gently in a minimal amount of water. Chop them down in the smallest pieces you can as they cook to extract as much of the flavor as possible. Use the shells, too, if they’re available.
- Add celery, garlic, and onion. Simmer everything together slowly, then blend it all.
- Once done, add some dill weed, white pepper, clam juice from a can, and a bay leaf.
- Simmer again, letting it reduce and concentrate the flavors.
- Once it smells rich and delicious, strain it and use it as your lobster base.
6. Bouillon Cube
This is the easiest choice for people who don’t want to cook another dish in the name of a substitute.
Simply dissolve, add half a beef bouillon cube in a little boiling water and add it to the dish that needed a lobster base.
Though, we have to tell you that this is not the best option on our list as it will not provide an authentic lobster base flavor or aroma. However, it will still taste good and provide the umami required.
7. Lobster Pate
If you cannot find the lobster base and need it desperately, you should try some lobster pate. It is usually available at the supermarkets in the canned fish and tuna section.
Lobster pate comes in small tins or containers, and there is very little flavor difference between this and lobster base once added to a dish.
8. Stock Made from Lobster Shells
For the people who are still stuck, this might be their last resort. In this method, you need to use the fresh lobster shells from the lobster in your dish to make a stock used as the lobster base substitute.
Take the shells and heat them in a wok or frying pan with butter for around five minutes on high heat. Turn the heat down to medium and add around two cups of water.
Let this mixture simmer for about half an hour to extract the lobster flavor from the shells. Let it reduce by a third, then strain it and use it in your dish. You can season it and add a little color with tomato paste if you like.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are quite a few things you can use as substitutes for the difficult-to-find lobster base. Let us know in the comment section which one you chose and how it worked for you.