A homemade fish stock recipe the perfect beginning to an Italian fish soup recipe. My recipe is straight from the coast of Amalfi along with this stock.
It's amazingly easy to make and what a big difference a fresh fish stock will do for all of your recipes and for your health. There is so much nutrition in fish that it's impossible for me to waste any part of it.
When I lived in Key West there was a little Cuban restaurant that made a fish soup every Friday morning. You had to get there before 11 am to get it. Anytime after that and it was gone! This is the stock they used and believe me when you ate that soup you were packed full of energy for the day.
Fish stock doesn't need to cost you tons of money to make. Do you have a fish monger near you? If not check with your local grocer and ask them if they have any fish heads and bodies left for you to purchase.
You can always buy an inexpensive fish as well but try to stay away from the really gamey flavored fish for your stock such as Mackerel and Amber Jack.
But always get it fresh! If you eat a lot of fresh fish like I do then making a fish stock recipe is easy. I filet the fish and freeze the head and body until I'm ready to make the stock.
One large pot 2-3 fish heads and bones from a large fish
1 scallion cut in half
4 garlic cloves
bunch of Italian parsley
1 carrot peeled and quartered
Onion peeled
1 bay leaf
4 black pepper corns
1 cup of any white cooking wine
of a lemon
Salt
Put all the ingredients in the large pot and fill with water until the water barely covers the ingredients. Bring to a boil. When it reaches boiling turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Don't worry, you can not over cook stock if you keep it on simmer. Depending on how much fish stock I'm making I may simmer it for about an hour.
Put a large bowl of a different pot in the sink, place a strainer over the pot in the sink and pour contents of the cooked stock into the other pot.
All the bones along with the veggies will stay in the coriander. Let them sit or shake the coriander to get ever precious drop of stock.
Discard the fish bones. Now you're left with a golden, delicious, rich and full of flavor broth that is packed full of nutrition.
Let the broth cool. There is so little fat in any fish broth because fish, unless of course you're using a salmon of fatty fish, has very little fat. So chilling and skimming the fat isn't necessary.
I pour the broth into separate 2 quart containers and freeze for when I need them for my Italian food recipes or soups and sauces.
If you're Italian soup recipes doesn't call for a Fish Stock recipe here's a chicken stock recipe or a beef stock recipe for you to try!