Fish head soup? page

[Clymb]

Has anyone made fish head soup and has a good recipe? Is it way fishy? I just made a beef stew with beef neck bones for the first time last night, so I want to get into making more stocks from bones for the nutrition benefits. Thanks for any tips/recipes!

[Kaylee99]

Yes, my dad does it all the time for his chowders and fish stews. Just get a fish frame (the head and vertebrate, whats usually left after they take all the fillets off) and simmer like beef bones. Its fishy, but in a good way (like how beef broth is beefy, but in a good way). Just like with beef broth you can simmer it down (reduce) till the taste is very fishy, or leave more water for a less fishy flavor. You can also add spices/herbs/veggies just like beef broth.

I'm not a big fish lover so I don't make fish broth but dad makes his the same way as beef broth: buncha bones (he likes to use one fish frame per 6 cups of finished broth and likes to get halibut frames from the butcher, sometimes salmon if he's wanting a very fishy broth), water, splash of vinegar. Simmer for 24+ hours. Strain broth to remove bones (he strains fish twice cause of how many small bones there are). Return to simmer and reduce till broth is as fishy as he wants it (which changes depending on what type of soup he's making). His chowders are amazing!

[Finnegans Wake]

When I get whole fish (often from Asian stores) I'll keep the head and bones and make a batch of stock from it. It's not weirdly fishy or anything. THrow in the usual vegetables and aromatics used for stocks, and freeze what you don't plan to use right away.

Homemade fish stock makes the best seafood soups and stews. You could also use it when steaming clams or mussels.

[Clymb]

Ok thanks guys. I was looking up info on it and not finding much so I figured you guys would now. You usually want non-oily fish? I read that that's the case since the oils will easily go rancid in an oily fish.

[cori93437]

I do this when I get whole fish as well...
I usually cut the fins and heat off and throw them in a pot, and then grill the body for dinner.
After grilling I put the left over bones in the pot too because they have lots of flavor and cartilage left.
Simmer it all with some aromatics. (Ginger, lemongrass, and garlic make frequent appearances in mine in addition to more normal fare.)
Then I ladle out the large chunks and strain the liquid through a ultra fine sieve.
Why the sieve?
Scales.
I am not going to try and fiddle every last scale off of that head and collar.
So, I strain it.
It's delicious.

I like a squeeze of lime just before consuming to brighten it a bit... and some Sriacha (or similar) for heat.

[Betorq]

Ok thanks guys. I was looking up info on it and not finding much so I figured you guys would now. You usually want non-oily fish? I read that that's the case since the oils will easily go rancid in an oily fish.

Well, I make a fish head soup using mackerel or salmon heads, mostly in the fall & winter. Not an all the time food, I think it's ok. Feels ok...

[cori93437]

I've used fresh caught Pompano...
Just don't keep the stuff around long.
Drink up!

[Quarry]

Salmon is ok to use.

[Clymb]

I do this when I get whole fish as well...
I usually cut the fins and heat off and throw them in a pot, and then grill the body for dinner.
After grilling I put the left over bones in the pot too because they have lots of flavor and cartilage left.
Simmer it all with some aromatics. (Ginger, lemongrass, and garlic make frequent appearances in mine in addition to more normal fare.)
Then I ladle out the large chunks and strain the liquid through a ultra fine sieve.
Why the sieve?
Scales.
I am not going to try and fiddle every last scale off of that head and collar.
So, I strain it.
It's delicious.

I like a squeeze of lime just before consuming to brighten it a bit... and some Sriacha (or similar) for heat.

That sounds amazing! Anything with sriracha is delicious, I'll have to try that

[Leida]

I buy salmon heads and trimmings, tie them in a cheescloth with spices and celery and onions and make thick broth from that. Then I stuff it with the meat I take off the heads and trimmings and some frozen fillets of white fish and onions (and maybe a touch more celery or carrots if I feel like it) to make thick ukha.