Jan’s Soup Kitchen

Fish Soups

Simmering fish parts such as the heads and bones of most any fresh white meat fish makes the base of the best fish soups & stews.

Basic Fish Soup Base

Rinse fish heads & bones in a strainer removing any gills and blood.
Wrap the heads & bones in cheesecloth.
Put the bundled fish parts in a large pot and fill with water until the bundle is fully submersed.
Simmer for 30 min. or so turning the bundle occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Avoid vigorous boiling which causes surface foam that will have to be skimmed off.
Drain and remove bundle to cool.
Add preferred vegetables and seasonings and cook until desired consistency. It is best to add the longer cooking time vegetables first (such as potatoes, carrots, etc.) and shorter cooking time vegetables like zucchini last
While the vegetables are cooking pick any meat off the cooled head & bones and set aside to add to the soup a few minuets before serving. Discard the remaining bones.

Handy Tips:

· To avoid a fishy aroma, add an herb bouquet bundle while simmering fish parts. This will flavor the broth and create a more pleasant aroma.

· Wrap discarded parts in newspaper, put in a plastic bag and freeze it until trash day.

· Fish base (without vegetables) can easily be frozen in any airtight container.

· To get a richer broth use more heads which may require more than one bundle. When one bundle is finished remove to cool and add the next bundle to simmering broth.

Once the base is made fish soup is really very flexible and just a creation of the cook. Be experimental with your soup and combine the seasonings of your choice.

White Fish Soup

Made with ½ & ½ cream, this is a calorie dense soup but is by far my husbands’ favorite. It is best if made with any firm white meat fish such as red snapper or any of the rockfish species.

Ingredients:

2 qts. fish base

2-3 lbs boneless fish fillets at room temperature (cut into large chunks)

1-2 bay leaves (whole)

seasoned salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

4-5 med. red potatoes (diced)

1 lg. white onion (chopped)

4-5 celery stocks (sliced)

4-5 carrots (sliced)

1 c. frozen corn

1 ½ qts. ½ & ½ cream

½ c. cornstarch (*optional)

cooked lobster (small chunks) or crabmeat (*optional)

Heat base to a simmer add bay leaves, potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots. Simmer for 10 min. then remove bay leave and add frozen corn and 1 qt of the cream. Bring it back up to a simmer and cook for 10 min. For thicker chowder consistency add cornstarch to the remaining cream and mix well until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture slowly to the soup while gently stirring. Heat soup to desired consistency (thickness) and drop in room temperature fish chunks. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let it stand for 10 min. This will cook the fish. Stir gently to blend before serving.

Makes 6-8 large servings.

Great served with crusty sourdough bread and a salad.

* For a soup like consistency omit the cornstarch but do add all of the cream.

* For an elaborate version of this soup top individual servings with cooked lobster chunks and/or crabmeat with a sprig of fresh dill.

Sea Trout Soup

This is a low calorie fish soup that is easy to make and actually tastes better if served the day after you made it. It is best to use a high oil content fish like sea trout to get the rich mellow flavor of this soup. Firmer white meat fish have a low oil content and can be used but flavor will be sacrificed.

Ingredients:

2 qts fish base

2-3 lbs boneless sea trout fillets

2 bay leaves (whole)

2-3 cloves garlic (crushed or diced)

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbls chili powder

1 28 oz. Can crushed tomatoes

4-5 med potatoes (diced)

4-5 celery stocks (sliced)

1 lg. Onion (chopped)

3 small zucchinis (sliced)

1 small green bell pepper (chopped)

1 bunch fresh cilantro (washed and chopped)

½ tsp crushed red pepper

salt (to taste)

Lightly brown onions then add garlic and bay leaves and brown for 1 min. more. Pour in fish base and bring to a low boil. Add potatoes and celery. Simmer until potatoes are half cooked. Add crushed tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, bell pepper and zucchinis simmer for 8-10 min. Turn up heat and bring to a boil then shut off heat. Drop in whole fish fillets and cilantro. Stir gently to submerge fillets. Cover and let stand for 10-15 min. Stir gently to mix in fillets before serving. The tender fish fillets will continue break apart while stirring so don’t stir aggressively if you want large chunks of fish in the soup.

Approx. 8 servings.

Garnish with a slice of lime and serve with hot tortillas.

Variation:

Add crab, lobster, whelks, squid or octopus, and substitute cooked rice for the potatoes. Rice tends to absorb the soup liquid so add cooked rice just before the fish fillets. It makes a great seafood stew!