You can make really yummy dishes using fish stock as base. I made the glamorous but simple spaghetti ala gambetta a few days back (worth checking out if you are trying to impress someone with your culinary skill). But last night, I was on my own so I just heated up the leftover fish stock and ladled it over piping hot spaghetti.  This was my 5-minute dinner which tasted as good as it looked:

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We are perhaps more used to making bone broth than fish stock, but you can do amazing things with fish stock.  I guess what puts most people off is the difficulty in obtaining fish bones compared to chicken carcass or beef bones. My local fishmonger in Portsmouth is quite huffy about selling fish bones though Stan’s in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight where I went to school, was most generous and gave me salmon bones for free. You can find lovely fish recipes on their website 🙂

If you can’t find a friendly fishmonger, use make your stock using crab, prawn shells and clams or mussels.  These are the five ingredients that will give you a rich yummy broth:

  1. Best quality olive oil
  2. Garlic (I used about 6 cloves)
  3. Tomatoes, quartered (I used two ripe red ones)
  4. Fresh parsley 
  5. Good white wine (a couple of glasses)

Saute the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, fish bones and parsley. Bring to boil. I popped my boiling pot into my Wonderbag but if you don’t have one, you can simmer on low heat for three hours. Add wine just before serving. You might like to add a teaspoon of sugar to bring the taste out. Season to your liking.

Note: For an Asian flavour, add ginger and lemongrass. Stay posted for my Asian fish recipe.

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