Homemade Fish Stock
This recipe is for a classic French Fumet de Poisson, which is a fancy way of saying fish stock. If you are having problems with fish stock, this recipe will give you great results every time. The keys to a great Fish Fumet are a short cooking period, and not using too much water (then you will have a rich gelatinous stock). The short cooking time will give you a light, fresh tasting stock that is not fishy. Using the right amount of water will give you the gelatin-rich body that will stand up to any Gefilte Fish or poached fish dish like my favorite saffron poached halibut.
- Duration
- Cook Time
- Prep Time
- 1/2 gallon ServingsServings
Ingredients
- 1 ounce olive oil
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 leek, white part only, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 4 pounds fish frames and heads (gills removed) from lean fish such as sole, snapper, or whiting
- 15 parsley stems
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 quarts cold water or enough to just cover the fish bones
- 10 whole peppercorns
Preparation
- Place the oil in a medium stock pot over low heat. Sweat the onions and shallots until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the leek, celery, and mushrooms and sweat for 5 minutes more. Be very careful not to caramelize the vegetables as this will discolor the final stock.
- Add the fish frames and heads, parsley stems, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook gently over low heat until the fish frames turn opaque.
- Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the wine by half.
- Add the water and stir well. Add the peppercorns and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Skim the surface of any impurities and fat and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Allow the fumet to simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to steep for an additional 10 minutes.
- Strain the finished fumet through a fine mesh sieve or a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Allow the fumet to cool completely before covering and refrigerating or freezing. Fumet can be made up to a month ahead of time and stored in the freezer.