How to make fish stock
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, fish, How to, mushroom, soup, vegetable, Western
Homemade fish stock makes a great soup base for soups, congee, rice, braises, stews and sauces. It gives any seafood-based dish an immeasurable flavour even to the simplest recipe. Apart from flavour, it is extremely nutritious too as it’s a rich source of gelatin and minerals that our body requires. This is further mentioned by by Sally Fallon (author of Nourishing Traditions) in her article titled Broth is Beautiful. An excerpt of this article is as follows:
“Fish stock, made from carcasses and heads of the fish, is especially rich in minerals including all-important iodine. Even more important, stock made from the heads, and therefore the thyroid glands of the fish, supplies thyroid hormone and other substances that nourish the thyroid gland.”
Honestly, most people living in urban area find it hard to get fish carcasses due to its limited supply. I consider myself lucky to find a constant (yet still limited) supply of fish bones from my nearby supermarket (NTUC Fairprice) and wet market (Tampines round market) at reasonable prices. Don’t be despair if you aren’t as lucky as me. You can always ask your local fishmonger to save the carcasses for you. That’s what I did whenever I was desperate for a bowl of comfy homemade fish soup. So, start sourcing for your fish bones. If the amount is too little, freeze them first until it’s sufficient to make the stock.
This western style white fish stock I shared here is very simple and easy to make. The inclusion of vegetables adds a great more flavour and nutrients to the stock. As they are cut into small pieces, they can release their maximum flavour in the shortest time. Making this stock doesn’t take you long. A gentle one-hour simmer is all you need to yield a good clear and tasty stock. Avoid using oily fish as highly unsaturated fish oils will become rancid during long cooking process. I use fresh coriander leaves to enhance the flavour but other fresh herbs such as parsley and thyme work just fine. This stock can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and up to 3 months with deep freezing. Having this stock on hand, you can easily whip up many delicious dishes such as my seafood beancurd soup. If you need more ideas, please stay tune for my upcoming quick and easy soup recipe!
-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial on How To Make Fish Stock at PAGE 2 BELOW.
Just made this soup today for my daughter who
is not feeling so well..Very refreshing !!
i added some Enoki mushroom instead of celery.
It is just as Yummy…
Lim So Ngo: Thanks for your kind sharing. Hope your daughter has a speedy recovery! 😉
Hi can you please specify which fish you have used before? Is cod an oily fish? Other oily fish?
Thank you.
Oops sorry only read page 1…just read page 2 when you mentioned which fish you use..thanks! Going to ask my NTUC if they will sell me bones!
Clare: Glad that your doubt is cleared! 🙂
I hardly can find fish carcasses here, and don’t keep them if I have fish since I usually have whole fish served on the dinner table.
But a fish stock should be very good esp when making seafood dishes.
Tigerfish: This fish stock is very beneficial to our health. Do give it a try! 🙂
1kg fishbone? That’s a lot! Can I use fishhead? I remember last time I cook fishhead is milky? Yours is so clear.
Evelyn: I normally bought 2 packets of fish bones from NTUC to make up this amount. Of course, you can use fish head too as mentioned in my recipe. I haven’t tried cooking this stock with fish head. So I’m not sure why your stock is milky. Maybe it could be due to the method you used which is different than mine. Did you fry your fish head? Please share your outcome with me after trying this recipe. 😉
lucky you to find them at NTUC. your soup sounds and look wholesome and healthy.
Noobcook: You can try NTUC as your place too. Thanks for your sweet comment! 😉
So nutritious and awesome! 🙂
Alice: Thanks! 😉
Looks so very healthy. I know I say it everytime but I love your food photography.
The Sudden Cook: Thanks a lot!! You really made my day regardless of how many times you had mentioned it. I really appreciate that! 😉
Beautiful post! Even not a fan of fish soups is likely to convert. Of course, I like fish soups, on its own or as stock.
TasteHongKong: Thanks!! Glad to find a fan of fish soup here. 😉
Oh, how wonderful. Nothing better than home made stocks! Thanks for sharing yours. 🙂
Amy Tong: Yup, you said it all! It’s my pleasure to share. 😉
Looks great and wholesome. Too bad I don’t have excess to fish bones too. I normally buy frozen fish fillets here, living in the Mid-West, USA.
LCOM: Thanks!! Fish bones are not easily found over here too. Maybe chicken stock is a better alternative for you. 😉
This stock must be super delicious. It’s such a beautiful color at the end and very nutritious that I can just enjoy the stock itself. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have to try other stock rather than dashi stock. =P
Nami (JOC): Yes, you’re right! Besides that, it’s quite handy for cooking too. You got to try it fast! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing this! This is absolutely helpful and I can’t wait to try!
Shirley: It’s my pleasure to share!! I can’t wait to see your post too! 😉
wow ! what a great recipe with your simple steps. thank you!
if it does get fishy i may add alittle more ginger..love ginger.
My mom will be proud 🙂
thank you!
Lisa
Cookng Sisters
Lisa: Thanks! Yes, the ginger (and more if you like) will help to get rid off the fish smell. Hope your mom loves it! 😉
i was just thinking about fish stock, thinking about doing a bouillabaisse…wonder if a local grocery store would save me some fish heads and bones??
lovely pictures!
Lannie: Thanks! It’s time to start collecting your heads and bones. 😉
Simple ingredients but it makes a delicious soup 🙂
Selba: Nice to see you again! Thanks!! If you can find fish carcasses, do give this recipe a try! 😉
Lovely fish stock – so clear and I bet the flavour is awesome!
Lee Mei (MCH): Thanks! Yes, you’re absolutely right!
Ooh I’m so inspired now, thanks! And really love your photography too!
Mummy Ed: Thanks for dropping by and your lovely comment! 😉
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Zoe: Thanks for your wonderful support!! Yes, you can omit leek. Leek can also be used to make mushroom soup or for stir-frying. If you wrap them nicely with a layer of kitchen towel followed by cling wrap, they can last for another week. Hope your query is answered. 😉
Hi! Just want to say i love all your recipes. I made this fish stock for my girl the moment you posted online! She loved it so i went on to cook in batches and froze into individual portions. We find it so handy cos we can easily cook a nutritious bowl of porridge, noodles or macaroni soup with it. I got preggy after that, felt nausea and could not eat anything until i started trying other recipes of yours. my boy will turn 8 months old tomorrow! And i just cooked this fish stock for him this evening. He loves it too! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Wendy: Thanks for your wonderful support and kind feedback!! Glad to know that your little boy loves the soup. However, I would like to bring to your attention that my recipes are recommended for kids aged 2.5 years and above. So, if you want to cook them for your little boy, please use them with extra caution and make the necessary adjustments if needed. For fish, you can read more at this post: https://food-4tots.com/2011/08/10/oven-baked-fish-fingers/. 🙂
You’re welcome! 🙂 Noted! Yes, I did some modification to your recipe to suit his age. Thanks for the link. I will try that for my girl. Keep the recipes coming! Heehee.. 😉
Wendy: Thanks for your words of encouragement! 😉
Hi I loves your recipes. Is it a must to add ginger? I have never intro ginger to my 9months old boy yet. Is onion sufficient to get rid of the fishy smell?
Corrina: If your little one doesn’t mind the fishy smell, you can omit the ginger. 🙂
Hi, thanks for sharing ur recipe.
I wanted to make this stock but i was thinking if the vegetables used in the stock will make the stock gassy? I am just wondering.. Please advise. Thanks!
Ching Ching: This is a common western method in preparing fish stock. So sorry that I’m not able to advise you about the issue of “gassy” as I’m not a nutritionist. I think it is alright to be consumed by those with normal health. 🙂
Hi, where can I buy cheese cloth here in Singapore? Thanks.
Pauline: I bought mine from a Chinese kitchenware shop in a wet market. Maybe you can try Daiso. 🙂