soup with white fish stock base
A mild flavoured, clear stock made from fresh fish bones, vegetables and aromatic herbs by gentle simmering in water.
Use this stock to enhance the flavour of fish soups (especially bisque!), sauces, risotto, and pasta dishes. You may also use it for poaching fish, or cooking grains to serve with fish or seafood.
Do not cook your stock longer than 25 minutes or it will become bitter. However, after it has been strained, stock can be reduced by further boiling it to get a more concentrated flavor.
DO NOT add salt.
White fish stock
Makes approximately 1 litre
Ingredients
- 500 gr fish bones and heads from white fish (such as seabass, bream, sole, or gurbel)
- ½ fennel bulb
- 1 shallot
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 large carrot
- 1 leek (white part only)
- 1 bay leaf
- Small bunch of parsley stalks
- 2 springs of fresh thyme or tarragon
- A few black peppercorns
- A small strip of lemon peel (from an unwaxed lemon)
Instructions
- Wash the bones properly, removing all the blood. You can also cover the bones with cold water and place your container in the fridge overnight, in order to get rid of any remaining blood cells on the bones.
- Clean and wash the vegetables. Cut them into pieces that are approximately of the same size. The preparation time for the fish stock is quite short, therefore the vegetables should be cut into relatively small pieces in order to nourish the stock with as much flavour as possible. I would suggest that you chop your vegetables into pieces approximately 1,5 cm long.
- Place the bones in a big pan, add cold water and bring it to a slow boil, just like when poaching.
- Skim off the fat and scum that floats on the surface.
- When the water starts to boil pour some cold water (about 500 ml) into the pan.This technique is called “d’epouiller”, and it helps solidify the fat and scum, which makes it easier to remove them from the surface in order to make the liquid as clear as possible. You can repeat this method a few times if needed.
- Now you can add your vegetables and herbs to the pan, as well as enough water to cover your ingredients.
- Bring your stock back up almost to the boiling point (as though you were poaching) and cook it for 20-25 minutes. Regulate the heat so that the stock doesn’t boil. It’s very important to make sure that your fish stock is not boiling, otherwise you risk making it muddy. Add cold water (d’epouiller), if you need to, in order to remove as much fat and scum as possible. Skim from time to time.
- Strain stock once it is cooked. Use a fine sieve to remove even the tiniest ingredients like peppercorns. Never push bones and vegetables while straining, as it will make stock muddy.
- Now you should have a light fish stock. You can use it straight away, freeze it or reduce it.
Notes
DO NOT add salt.
- To freeze the stock: pour it into containers, leave to cool completely, wrap it very well or close with a lid, label and keep in a freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reduce the stock: pour strained stock into a clean wide pan and reduce over a medium heat to the desired flavour strength, skimming from time to time.