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What is the best fish to make fish stock (fumet)?

3K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  genemachine 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi everyone !!!

In Spain, rice dishes are based on fish or shellfish, for example, traditional seafood paella or arroz a banda, are built to a traditional fish soup (fish heads, tails of fish, crabs, shrimp heads, etc.), but the fish is the so-called "rock fish" or "morralla", which is one who lives among the rocks near the shore, small in size but great flavor. If I wanted to develop a similar fish broth residing in Florida, what kind of fish could I use?

Thanks in advance

attached photos of the fish used in Spain


 
#2 ·
Honestly, if you can taste the kind of fish you used in a broth, then you've probably got a superman tongue! A lot of this form of elitism in the selection of ingredients for things which will be used in cooking or mixed with lots of other flavors is often highly unnecessary. From experience, a well-seasoned stock cube is very difficult to decipher from a fresh broth when used in rice dishes. The starch from the rice tends to absorb the finer nuances of the flavor, and you're often left with an overall 'savory' taste and a hint of flavor, which would be lost behind anything else you added to the dish. 
 
#5 ·
Have to agree with chris here - make fumet with anything left over, that's just fine
Yes, but do avoid fatty fish left-overs like salmon, sardines, mackerel... which will provide a disgusting much too fishy taste. Also, a fish broth should never cook longer that 20 minutes before it gets all bitter. Best seafood stock ever is made of the heads of (North Sea) shrimp.

I mostly use chicken stock instead of fish stock; tastes so much better in any seafood sauce or preparation...! And I'm with chris.Lawrence in using stock cubes or preferably the more modern and low salt stock pastes.
 
#7 ·
Yes, but do avoid fatty fish left-overs like salmon, sardines, mackerel... which will provide a disgusting much too fishy taste. Also, a fish broth should never cook longer that 20 minutes before it gets all bitter. Best seafood stock ever is made of the heads of (North Sea) shrimp.

I mostly use chicken stock instead of fish stock; tastes so much better in any seafood sauce or preparation...! And I'm with chris.Lawrence in using stock cubes or preferably the more modern and low salt stock pastes.
True, Chris. Shouldn't cook at all, just barely simmer. If you can see a bubble rise before you get bored, it's fine
 
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