When I make bouillabaisse, I like to put the effort into making my own fish stock; it’s really very easy and can be made the day before bouillabaisse-day which streamlines things a bit.
You have a choice when making the stock, starting with a mirapoix technique of cooking the vegetables, or beginning with a big pot of water and adding from there, both work. In the photo here, I kinda did both, put the red snapper fish frame and shrimp shells in a big pot of water with the sturdier parts of a fennel bulb and some parsley and cooking the onion, carrots, leek before adding.
Fish Stock for Bouillabaisse
makes 2 quarts
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 2 pounds fish frames, heads, collars, or whole small fish (use non-oily fish e.g. not salmon) and shrimp shells
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, white or yellow, thinly sliced
- 1 leek (sliced and swished in a bowl of water then lifted out) optional
- 1 small bundle parsley (about 10 sprigs)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt or sea salt
- several grind of black pepper
Instructions
-
Add water to a large stockpot then layer in the fish bones and vegetables, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes then turn off heat and let steep for 10 additional minutes.
Let cool a bit then strain out the solids for the trash or compost.
