- Egg free
- Nut free
- Sesame free
- Shellfish free
- Soy free
- Peanut free
- Wheat free
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Lactose free
- Low fat per serve
- No added sugar
Homemade fish stock is a quick and easy way of adding flavour to your seafood dishes. In just 40 minutes, you can have a light and aromatic broth.
- Serves8, Makes approx. 8 cups (2L)
- Cook time35 minutes
- Prep time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, bruised
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, bruised
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
- 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
- 1 baby fennel, coarsely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2kg white fish bones, rinsed
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until aromatic. Add wine and simmer for 5 mins or until reduced by half.
Step 2
Add the onion, celery, fennel, bay leaves, garlic, fish bones and 8 cups (2L) water. Bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 mins to infuse flavours and reduce slightly. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Place in the fridge for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe tip
For a clear stock, do not stir it once the bones have been added. You can also do a final strain through a muslin-lined sieve.
Once strained you can use the poached vegetables to add to a soup or casserole.
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Clever storage: Fish stock can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen. Divide the stock into 1 cup portions and pour into snap lock bags. The stock can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost as many portions as the recipe requires in the fridge, or add frozen stock straight to the pot while cooking.
Use it up: Leftover celery can be frozen. Chop it finely and place on a baking tray in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to small snap lock bags. Celery can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Root to tip: If you bone your own fish, keep the bones in the freezer to use in this fish stock recipe.
Fish stock recipe
There’s no doubt that using homemade stock rather than store-bought elevates your cooking, adding an extra level of flavour to your favourite dishes. You may have tried your hand at beef stock or chicken stock, but what about fish stock? Also known as fumet, fish stock doesn’t require long simmering. Instead, it needs only 20 minutes on the stovetop to produce a gentle and fresh broth that is perfect for enhancing your fish and seafood dishes.
How to make fish stock
To start, you need to rinse the fish bones. This is done to avoid the stock becoming cloudy. Because we want our stock to be clear, we only use white and green vegetables and aromatics. The usual stock ingredient, carrot, is replaced by chopped baby fennel. This aniseed flavour is amped by adding fennel seeds, and white peppercorns take the place of black. Because the cooking time for fish stock is quite short, it’s better to cut the vegetables into small pieces – this gives them a smaller surface area, which allows the flavour to be fully extracted in the short simmering time. The vegetables are sautéed in olive oil until just softened – the deep golden colour that’s required for beef or chicken stock is not needed. A fish stock is meant to be delicate, not robust. While wine is optional in other stocks, it’s used here to add clean, almost citrusy notes that offset the fishiness of the bones. Strain your stock through a fine sieve to prevent any bits of the bones and aromatics escaping into the clear liquid. If you don’t have a fine sieve, line a colander with muslin or a clean, unused kitchen wipe, like a Chux.
What bones do I use for the best fish stock recipe?
When making fish stock, it is important to use bones from white fish fillets only. Bones from an oily fish, such as salmon, are too intense and muddy the flavour of your stock. The bones from snapper, perch and cod work best and can include heads, spines or ribs.
Love this recipe?
Looking for fish stock recipe ideas? Use your fish stock to provide the base for a seafood risotto or to prepare the veloute of these salmon and veggie pot pies. Adding your own fish stock rounds out the spicy fragrance of a classic prawn tom yum soup or how about wowing your guests by serving up this gorgeous French-style seafood stew.
FAQs
Fish stock
- Serves8, Makes approx. 8 cups (2L)
- Cook time35 minutes
- Prep time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, bruised
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, bruised
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
- 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
- 1 baby fennel, coarsely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2kg white fish bones, rinsed
Description
Homemade fish stock is a quick and easy way of adding flavour to your seafood dishes. In just 40 minutes, you can have a light and aromatic broth.
Method
Step 1
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until aromatic. Add wine and simmer for 5 mins or until reduced by half.
Step 2
Add the onion, celery, fennel, bay leaves, garlic, fish bones and 8 cups (2L) water. Bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 mins to infuse flavours and reduce slightly. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Place in the fridge for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.