Fish Stock Recipe

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Fish stock is the swiftest to make-an hour at most is all that’s needed. Fish bones are available from a fishmonger, but not all make good stock. Those from white fish are best, so sole, flounder,cod, and halibut are the first choices. Second best are from fish that are only a little oily, such as salmon or bass. Herring or mackerel bones are of little use for stock.

The bones need gentle sweating in butter to heighten their flavor before any water is poured over them.They are prone to catch on the pan and burn, so take care to stir constantly during this part of the process. Fish stock is the least versatile.
It is good with fish but not with anything else, while chicken stock works as well in a fish dish as it does in a chicken or vegetable dish.

INGREDIENTS :
Makes about 2 quarts (2 liters)
4½ lb (2kg) raw fish bones
2 tbsp butter
1 cup white wine
1 leek, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
few parsley stems
3 quarts water (3 liters)

The texture of fish stock is thin, the flavor restrained.

Step 1
Rinse the fish bones in plenty of cold water. Discard any bloody bits near the heads. Gently warm the butter in a stockpot. Add the fish bones and stir over the heat until you can smell cooked rather than raw fish. he bones should not brown at all.

Step 2
Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Skim off any white foam from the surface, then let simmer gently for 40 minutes. Strain into a pitcher or bowl. There will be little or no fat to skim off, but discard any impurities that fall to the bottom as the stock cools.

Japanese Fish Stock

Dashi is a tuna- and seaweed-based fish stock used for Japanese soups. It is generally sold dried.Like any commercial stock mixture, it needs to be reconstituted in the exact proportions advised on the package or it will be too salty. If you want a milder flavor, add chicken or fish stock to the dashi. If you have access to dried bonito tuna flakes and kombu seaweed you can make your own dashi. Do not boil the dashi for long periods.Evaporation concentrates the stock and it loses its delicacy.

How to Store Fish Stock

Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate. To freeze, pour the cool stock into 1-pint (600ml) zipper-seal plastic bags, or rigid plastic containers with lids, and freeze for up to 3 months. Or, pour the stock into ice cube trays and freeze, then transfer the frozen cubes to a plastic bag.