Fish stock is rarely made from a fish as oily/rich/heavy as tuna. Almost always made from firm white fish -- parts. I do make lots of fish stocks using at least a small bit of salmon -- but that's as rich as I get.

Of course, if you're going to make tuna soup, tuna risotto, tuna stew or anything tuna -- well, then, tuna for stock might be perfect.

Aromatics: onion, a teeny bit of garlic, celery, parsley and lots of fennel (some like dill). Plus peppercorns and a bit of sea salt.

And if ya gottem', throw in some shrimp shells and crab shells.

Recipes: seafood soups and stews, chowders, risotto, paella. If you're going to use it for a seafood risotto or paella, stop it when it's light. Otherwise, cook it longer for a rich broth.

Joe

Thanks Joe.
The only things I could come up with to use it in were cioppino and chowder!

I'm still wondering if it's worth the effort.
What do you think about some lemon in the stock? Would that "lighten" the rich flavor some?

Deanna

Bump.

Anybody else have ideas on this?

Deanna

Deanna:

I forgot -- I always put a small piece of lemon in making my fumet.

I don't think it will lighten up tuna stock, though.

I've accidently put a LOT of lemon in my stock and it didn't make it any lighter; it actually came out weird.

Joe

Seafood Gumbo, Jambalaya, Bisque, any number of Cajun and/or Creole dishes.
Not being a fan of tuna or salmon, and neither being readily available here, I can't vouche for how the 'richness' of tuna and/or salmon stock would work in these dishes, though.
"Regular" fish stock does freeze well, and is nice to have in the cold weather, when heartier, spicier dishes are called for.

Rusty

I may see if the fish market has some other types of "scraps/bones" to give/sell me. It's sounding like making stock from the oily fish may not be the greatest idea!

I just hate to waste it, it's gotta be good for something!!
Garden?

Deanna

I'd go for it. If you don't like it, save it for a potluck dish (darfc).

Here is a salmon bisque recipe - we had it in a restaurant lately, couldn't stop eating it. Since it is salmon based, I bet (and so does JOC) yours would be a good stock for it.

Robin's Restaurant - Cambria, CA
Salmon Bisque
From Chef Chris Walker

Makes 12 servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sliced leeks
1/2 LB sliced mushrooms
1 Tblsp crushed garlic
46 ozs clam juice or fish stock
4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups salmon filet cut into ½ into half inch cubes
4 cups cream
1/4 cup flour

Fresh dill sprigs for garnish Method: Melt butter in large pot. Add leeks, mushrooms, & garlic. Saute for approximately 5 minutes. Add clam juice, tomatoes, parsley, dill & salt & pepper. Heat broth to almost boiling & add salmon. Cook salmon for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in cream & whisk in flour. Reheat. To serve, garnish with fresh dill sprigs.

Yum! That sounds really good Jessy! Thanks!
I'll probably go ahead and make it (the frugal part of me won't let me NOT make it!).
Worst case.........it's awful and I dump it on my tomato plants. Fish Fertilizer....right??? :-)

Deanna

From "The Joy of Cooking"

Fish Stock
Fish heads and bones are available from your fishmonger. Be sure they smell fresh and take the time to remove all traces of blood and viscera before making stock. If bones are unavailable, use inexpensive fish, like porgies or small bass. For a mild-tasting, all purpose fish stock, avoid oily fish such as salmon or herring.
Combine in a stock pot over medium heat:
2 lbs fish heads and bones, or whole fish, scaled, gutted, gills and viscera removed, rinsed well and drained.
1 small onion sliced
1 large leek, white and tender green parts, cleaned thoroughly and sliced
1/2 bulb fennel, sliced (optional)
1 to 2 cloves garlic (optional)
1 cup dry white wine (optional)
6 cups cold water or just enough to cover
1 bouquet garni (small bunch of parsley or parsley stems, 8 springs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried, 1 bay leaf, 2 or 3 celery leaves (optional)
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently. Cook, uncovered, skimming ofter, for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain into a clean pot or heatproof plastic container. Let cool, uncovered, then refrigerate until ready to use or freeze.

Hope this helps. It's a very good fish stock.

Linda

Thank you Linda.
Have you ever used fennel seed rather than a fresh bulb?
I have everything else!

Deanna

I use fennel seed instead of the bulb, but it has much less flavor.

I use fish broth many for crab soups. My favorite is crab and asparagus. I'm at work and don't have the recipe here, but I'll post it at home, if you like. I also use it as a sauce when I make fish. To thicken the sauce, I add potato starch, which is easier to use than cornstarch, and I generally add a bit of lemon juice or white wine and white pepper. I don't use a roux with fish stock, unless I am making gumbo. Most of the seafood soups I make are either Thai, Japanese, or Cajun. Oh, and I sometimes use fish sauce instead of clam juice when making a clam sauce. To boost the flavor, I sometimes add a bit of lobster soup base instead of salt. I get the soup base at a restaurant supply shop.

Lars

Lars, I would love to see the crab/asparagus soup recipe!
I am, after all, in Dungeness country!! LOL

I do think it would work in chowders, tomato based soups, etc.
Good idea on to use in sauces for fish (or poaching liquid).

I usually freeze my stock in small containers, then knock them out and put in a ziploc bag, so I can keep these rather small portions. There's just two of us most of the time for dinner!

I can't wait to grill some bacon-wrapped tuna tomorrow for dinner! I'll probably baste with either pineapple juice or lemon/olive oil/dill. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!
Maybe some grilled potatoes and veggies with it.

No hurry, I don't have crab right now anyway. I do have asparagus (frozen). Sounds like a "Taste of Summer" in the dead of winter recipe!
Or next week.........whichever!

Deanna

Deanna, if the fish stock is bad, it makes a great organic fertilizer, your garden will love you for it1

I've never made stock from salmon, but I have a couple of salmon based chowder recipes and they're very good, so I'd go ahead and make the stock with tuna and whatever else you have.

Like you, I'm too cheap to not make it. Of course, I also put the corn "bones" (cobs) in the soup for flavor, can't bear to waste 'em and I keep that container of carrot peels, celery tops and other vegetable scraps in the freezer for making beef stock, so yeah, I'd make tuna stock.

Jessica, I'm copying and pasting that recipe, it sounds delicious.

Annie

Grinning big here Annie!
I don't save the corn cobs only because it's too entertaining to feed them to the chickens!

Chicken Wrestling!

As opposed to Chicken Football....when you give them something they can pick up and run with...tomatoes trimmings are good as are carrot peelings...but they have to share those with me (saved for stock...).

I think I'm gathering enough fish recipes here to justify the stock.....AND, it'll be a good way to incorporate even more fish into our diet.

I've been playing with cutting out a lot of the fat/calories in chowders while keeping great flavor! Carmelizing onions is magic!!! As is Laughing Cow Light Cheese!! But the best thing is my "Whiz Stick". Ahhhh...........power tools for the kitchen!

I wonder if I can attach a whisk to the Makita????

Jessy, do you know?

DARFC,
Deanna

Deanna, I'm sure Jessica will know how. Quite sure.....

Maybe you should ask her husband? ;-)

Annie

brb you two. such trouble makers. heh heh...got me thinking..

Here's my crab asparagus soup recipe:

Crab Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

2 pounds asparagus
6 stalks celery
1 onion
2 serrano peppers
4 cups water
1 tsp crab soup base
1 tsp lobster soup base
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon Chinese chili paste (or to taste)
1 pound crab meat
Soy sauce to taste

Remove the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Coarsely chop the asparagus stems, celery, onion, and Serrano peppers and put in a stock pan with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Blend the mixture in a food processor or use a hand-held blender to purée. Strain the puréed mixture through a China cap into another soup pan or bowl and force as much purée through as possible, leaving the stringy pulp to be discarded.

Return the liquid to the heat and add the soup base, fish sauce, and chili paste. You can substitute a dash of cayenne for the chili paste. Add the asparagus tips and simmer for about 3-5 minutes, but do not overcook the tips. Add the crab meat and remove from heat. Adjust seasonings with soy sauce and/or chili paste and serve immediately.

2003 Lars Theoderik

*Note: you can substitute fish stock for some or all of the water and omit the soup base, but then you will need to add about 1 tsp salt (or to taste), since I use the soup base in place of salt. It's best not to add too much salt, and I generally serve it with soy sauce. You can also cut the recipe in half, but I haven't done this, as it goes pretty quickly.

Lars

My mouth is watering over both of those soup recipes; I've cut & pasted both into a file!

If you used just the tuna bones & discarded the skin, would that solve most of the oiliness problem?

Deanna, I freeze small quanties of stock, too but I put 2 cups of stock into a gallon Ziploc, get as much air out as possible, & freeze it flat. When frozen, I set the thin bags upright, usually around the edges of the freezer basket or all together if I have room. They take up almost no space, are fast to thaw, & can be easily broken in two if you need less than 2 cups. Also, they don't seem to get freezer burn as much as lumps do.

It would be a waste of time to make stock from salmon, tuna, bluefish or other oily fish. It's not just the time making it but the time trying to make something out of it when it's finished.

Let the bones and scraps stay at the fish market and most likely, they won't be wasted. They probably will be collected and taken to a fertilizer plant.