Homemade Fish Stock for Soup and Chowder
Learn how to make homemade fish stock with fresh fish bones, vegetables, and herbs. This easy recipe is ready in about an hour and makes a flavorful base for seafood soups, chowders, sauces, and risotto.
Ingredients
- 2-4 pounds fish bones and heads, gills removed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley or thyme
- ½ cup white wine or the juice of ½ lemon
- kosher salt
- 8 cups cold water
Instructions
- Remove the gills if using fish heads. Rinse the bones under cold water and cut them into pieces if needed to fit your pot. Soak the bones in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Roughly chop onions, carrots, and celery, and garlic.
- In a large stockpot, heat butter or oil over medium heat and sauté the vegetables for about five minutes until softened but not browned.
- Add the fish bones to the pot and cook for another five minutes.
- Pour in white wine letting it reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cold water, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley or thyme, and a generous pinch of salt. The bones should be completely submerged.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer uncovered over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low to maintain slight movement without boiling.
- Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Let the stock simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain it through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids.
- Allow the stock to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. Skim off the hardened fat before using or freezing the stock.
Notes
Use 3 cups of this fish stock for my Creamy Fish Chowder recipe. Freeze the rest in 1-cup or 2-cup containers for soups, risotto, and sauces.
Freezing Fish Stock
- Allow the stock to cool to room temperature before freezing.
- Divide the cooled stock into smaller portions in small containers.
- Label and date the containers.
- Freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 94.4kcalCarbohydrates: 12.2gProtein: 1.4gTotal Fat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 30.4mgPotassium: 272.4mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 4.5g
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