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Stocking Up for Great Seafood!
Gumbos, court bouillon, and many seafood stews and chowders call for some amount of seafood stock as the foundation for the flavor and character the concoction will acquire. The portions most folks discard when filleting their catch are just as good, if not better, for creating seafood stock as any other part of a fish. Making your own stock from backbones, rib sections and throats is as easy as boiling water and can be preserved by home canning and stored for months until you need it.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fish backbone or rib sections with clinging meat
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
6 whole black peppercorns
1 lemon, sliced
1 gallon cold water
3 cups dry white wine
Method:
After filleting your catch of the day, save any meaty parts you would normally throw away, especially the backbone. Combine all above ingredients in a two-gallon stockpot. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer, cook 45 minutes. During cooking process, skim off all impurities that rise to surface. Add water if necessary to retain volume as everything cooks down. Strain through cheesecloth or fine sieve. Return to simmer and reduce to two quarts. Strain again and pour into quart Mason jars. Follow home canning guide for processing instructions. Note: any meat that can be gleaned from boiled skeletal parts makes a great addition to soups, stews and dips.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fish backbone or rib sections with clinging meat
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
6 whole black peppercorns
1 lemon, sliced
1 gallon cold water
3 cups dry white wine
Method:
After filleting your catch of the day, save any meaty parts you would normally throw away, especially the backbone. Combine all above ingredients in a two-gallon stockpot. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer, cook 45 minutes. During cooking process, skim off all impurities that rise to surface. Add water if necessary to retain volume as everything cooks down. Strain through cheesecloth or fine sieve. Return to simmer and reduce to two quarts. Strain again and pour into quart Mason jars. Follow home canning guide for processing instructions. Note: any meat that can be gleaned from boiled skeletal parts makes a great addition to soups, stews and dips.