Serves: 6
start to finish: 90 minutes
from Edible Seattle May/June 2011
Buying fish bones takes guts; rarely does a fishmonger set up a display of halibut spines sprouting a neon sign, and if you haven’t done it before, asking for bones may feel a little like raiding a graveyard. Here’s how I do it: I pick up the phone first. I call the fish guy.
“Hi,” I say, “I’d like to make fish stock. Do you have any good bones around?”
“Sure,” he says, “You have anything in particular in mind?”
“Do you have any big spine chunks, from, say, halibut?” I ask. “I want to cook a soup that uses all those good meaty chunks in between.”
That’s it. Be sure to ask if they’re going to be fresh or frozen; frozen fish will need to be thawed before using.
If you’d like, add a scoop of rice or rice noodles to each bowl before ladling the soup in.
Recipe
12 cups water
4 Kaffir lime leaves
1 4″ piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 1″ pieces, smashed
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ rounds
3 pounds halibut bones
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
1 to 5 Thai chilies, thinly sliced (to taste)
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes (peeled or not)
1/2 pound small crimini mushrooms, halved
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 pound pea shoots, torn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Sriracha, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Steps
Combine the water, lime leaves, ginger, lemongrass, and 2 of the carrots in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the fish bones, and cook for about 10 minutes. When the meat starts to fall off the bones, use tongs to fish one big bone chunk out. Holding the bone with the tongs, use a fork with the other hand to scrape the meat off from in between the bones, into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining bone chunks, then set the flaked fish aside. Simmer the stock for another 10 minutes or so, for a total of 35 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids (or fish the solids out with a wire mesh ladle), and return the stock to the pot.
Add the coconut milk, chilies, remaining carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and the sugar. Divide the reserved fish, scallions, pea shoots, and cilantro between six bowls, and ladle the soup and vegetables over the top. Serve piping hot, with Sriracha and lime wedges.
dairy-free • gluten-free