Fish Stock Recipe
Clean, light homemade fish stock (fish fumet) made from fish bones and heads, white wine, and aromatics. Ready in about an hour and perfect for seafood soups, chowders, risotto, paella, and quick sauces.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds fish heads and bones, (non-oily fish)
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 of a small fennel bulb, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 leek, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley
- 1 piece kombu (optional)
- 15 white peppercorns
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, leek, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and parsley. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are soft (do not let brown). This should take around 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the fish bones to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the bones and any meat around them turn white. This should take around 10 minutes.
- Add the water and wine. If the mixture isn't fully covered by the liquid, add more water to cover.
- Adjust the heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, then skim off the foam as it rises to the surface. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
- Strain the fish stock through a fine strainer. If you don't care about clarity, press down on the solids while in the strainer to extract all the juices for maximum flavor.
- Let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
NOTES
- Use lean white fish only. Snapper, grouper, halibut, sea bass, sea bream, cod, and similar fish make the cleanest stock. Avoid oily fish like salmon, mackerel, bluefish, and tuna or the stock can turn strong and muddy.
- Remove the gills first. If you are using heads, cut out the gills and rinse the bones well under cold water to wash away blood and slime. That is one of the main things that keeps the stock from tasting off or turning cloudy.
- Sweat the vegetables only. Cook the fennel, onion, leek, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and parsley just until softened. Do not let them brown or the stock will lose its pale, clean flavor.
- Cook the bones briefly. Stir the fish bones and heads with the vegetables until they turn opaque and white, then add the wine and water. If the liquid does not fully cover the bones, add a little more water.
- Keep the simmer gentle. Bring the pot to a bare simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, not longer. A rolling boil or long cook will make fish stock harsher, cloudier, and less clean tasting.
- Strain for your goal. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer for the cleanest stock. Press on the solids only if you care more about maximum flavor than clarity.
- Cool and store quickly. Let the stock cool, then refrigerate it tightly covered for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1959IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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