Best Fish Fumet For Classic Fish Chowder Recipes

FISH STOCK WITH RED WINE (FUMET DE POISSON AU VIN ROUGE)

Fish Stock with Red Wine (Fumet de Poisson Au Vin Rouge) image

Provided by Craig Claiborne

Time 52m

Yield About 1 3/4 cups

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

2 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 pound fish bones including head but with gills removed
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
3/4 cup coarsely chopped carrots
Salt to taste if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups dry red wine
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Steps:

Heat oil in casserole and add fish bones, onion and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
Add wine, water, bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Bring to boil and let simmer, uncovered, about 40 minutes. Strain sauce through fine sieve, pushing solids with wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 32, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 1 gram, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 154 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams

FISH FUMET

Fish Fumet image

Fumet is a white stock made from fish bones and aromatic vegetables, which are first "sweated" (cooked until soft but not taking on any color), then simmered in water. That initial step is a crucial building block, eliciting a touch of sweetness from the leek and developing the flavors for the next step, though it will produce a stock with less clarity than when the aromatics are simply brought to a boil with the rest. (To achieve that result, follow recipe for Basic Chicken Stock on page 41, bringing the fish bones and heads to a boil, then adding vegetables, bay leaf, and peppercorns and simmering 30 minutes before straining.) With its concentrated flavor, fumet is ideal for making fish soups and stews, or for steaming shellfish, such as the Clams in Herbed Broth on page 219\. Like other stocks, fumet can be altered for different effects. Increase the ratio of bones to water and you will have a stock with more pronounced fish flavor. For a Mediterranean-style stock, chopped garlic and fennel (and its fronds) can be sweated with the other aromatics, then crushed tomatoes, crumbled saffron, and a few parsley stems added and simmered in the pot along with everything else.

Yield Makes about 2 quarts

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sunflower or other neutral-tasting oil
2 pounds fish bones and heads
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, cut into 1-inch half-moons and washed well (page 32)
1 cup dry white wine
1 dried bay leaf
5 whole black peppercorns

Steps:

Sweat the bones and vegetables Heat the oil in a medium stockpot over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add fish parts, celery, and leek. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are soft and translucent and flesh on the bones has turned opaque but not brown, about 3 minutes.
Make stock Add wine and reduce by half, 3 to 5 minutes, then add enough water to cover by 1/2 inch (about 2 quarts) along with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to just under a boil over medium-high heat, skimming foam with a ladle as it rises to the surface, then reduce heat and gently simmer (bubbles should just gently break the surface) for 35 minutes, skimming frequently.
Strain stock Pass mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl or another pot (do not press on solids), discarding solids. Skim off fat. If not using immediately, let cool completely (in an ice-water bath, if desired) before transferring to airtight containers. Fish fumet can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator before using.
Ask your fishmonger to save the bones and heads from the fish in advance; firm-fleshed white fish, such as snapper, bass, and halibut, work best. Avoid oily fish (such as mackerel and tuna).