Fish Broth

The inherent complication with making fish soups and stews is the need for fish bones and heads. In  American  supermarkets, it can be difficult  to  find whole fish, much  less  someone to fillet them for you. An alternative is to buy small, whole inexpensive  fish at an ethnic market to use for the  broth.  You can  then  use meaty chunks of whatever  kind of  fish you find as the solid part of your soup. When  you get your  bag  of  fish  home,  you will usually  need to clean  them (see How to  Prepare a  Round Fish  for Cooking  Whole,  How  to Prepare a Flatfish for Cooking Whole, and How to Bone a Whole Round Fish Through the Belly),as ethnic markets are rarely willing to clean little inexpensive fish. You then  just  simmer the fish in water, perhaps with a little wine, and strain. You can also work the cooked fish through a food mill to make fish  puree. Stir the puree into the fish broth to make a creamy base for your soup.

Fish Broth

The secret to fish broth is using fresh bones and heads and cooking them right away. The heads and
bones are  soaked to remove traces of blood, which turn the  broth  gray.
Don’t cook fish broth more than 20 minutes or it will taste fishy instead of having a gentle sea-like quality.

MAKES 3 QUARTS

5 pounds fish bones and heads, gills removed, heads and bones soaked in cold water, refrigerated
for 2 hours 1 onion, peeled and sliced
Bouquet garni
Cold water to cover
½ cup dry white wine

Break up the bones and put them with the  heads, onion, and  bouquet  garni in  a  small pot. Pour over enough cold water to cover. Bring to  a  gentle  simmer,  add  the  white  wine,  and  skim off any froth  that  floats  to  the  surface.  Simmer  for  20  minutes  and  strain.  Keeps  for up  to  5  days  in the refrigerator.