I’m making fish stock (soupe de poisson) to use in clam chowder. I make it and store it in the freezer so it’s available when needed.
I scored a mess of half-off frozen fish at Shop n Kart yesterday including but not limited to ling cod, smelt, tilapia, head on prawns and some seafood mix which includes calamari and fake crab (pollack). I ended up with enough fishy bits to make two batches of stock, so I divided it up and stuck half back in the freezer. I don’t have a large enough stock pot to make two batches at once.
In this batch I have some whole fish, minus the gills and headed/gutted fish and prawn heads and fish parts simmering with parsley, onions, leeks, shallot, garlic, tomato, bay leaf, orange peel, celery, saffron, thyme and whole coriander. I don’t think I left anything out . . . Hmm. Maybe I should go throw in a couple rough chopped carrots. Once this has simmered for four hours I will strained out the solids. If there was somewhere I could put that stuff where the chickens could pick it over without the dogs getting into the bones, that would be a plus. Hmm. Time to ask Wadly for a temporary pen.
The last time I made bouillabaisse (chunks of fish, in-shell little neck clams, shrimp and scallops cooked in the above fish stock) I had some orange roughy in the mix of fish. That is the most lovely tasting fish. Mmm. Maybe I can sweet talk my brother into grabbing me some the next time he comes for a visit. He’s got a huge Japanese market where he lives and the orange roughy is fresh!