- left over shrimp and clam shells
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- about 1/2 of a left over fennel
- 1 carrot
- 2 stalks of celery
- 8 cups of water
- salt and pepper
whenever i make chicken i save the bones and put them in the freezer. i have 2 ziploc bags, one for veg and one for chicken. when ever i have leftover veggies, roasted or even just ends of onions, fennel, celery or even carrots i throw them in the bags. if you really think about it, it not only saves you a ton of money on veggies you would normally get rid after you make stock or soup, but the taste of roasted veggies and chicken adds an amazing flavor to stocks.
the plan this week was to make a bouillabaisse. i found this great slow cooker recipe book while i was away and this recipe completely caught my eye. it looked and sounded like something e and i would love. i am going to be honest with you, a bouillabaisse is not something i would normally make. the thought of making it makes me panic a bit. the recipe called for a fish stock, sure i could use chicken and add in some clam juice to make a quick stock, but i like to be difficult.
weeks back i had made 2 dishes, cockles in a tomato broth and a shrimp with truffle risotto, i saved the cockle and shrimp shells (i planned on making a shrimp bisque) in a ziplock and had thrown some leftover fennel and onion ends during the week to boot. when i got home on saturday night i had a whole list of recipes i really wanted to make this week, bouillabaisse being one of them. so sunday i hit the grocery and when i got home i started planning out my dinners for the week. i knew i really wanted to try and make this bouillabaisse so i grabbed my handy bag out of the freezer and made my first real fish stock.
fish stock
- in a dutch oven combine all of the ingredients. simmer over a low flame for 2-4 hours. the longer you cook it the better the taste. you could even use your crock pot to make this. throw everything in and put it on high for 3-4 hours.
- get out your strainer and in an empty pot or whatever you want to store it in, i use mason jars, strain the soup and store for later use.
i made this stock sunday and plan to make the bouillabaisse sometime this week. i stored 4 cups in a mason jar in my fridge and put the rest in the freezer.
remember this is not going to taste like soup, this is just stock, it’s the base to your soup. when you are ready to use it, the added veg and spice, and in this case fish, will really be giving it the flavor.
