Stock is the base for all sorts of delicious dishes such as risottos, sauces, stir-fries and, of course, soups.
You Need: (Serves 6)
- 1.5kg fish bones and heads
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large red onion, thickly sliced
- 1 large leek, thickly sliced
- 1 medium fennel bulb, thickly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 400g can chopped and seeded tomatoes
- 3 leafy celery stalks, broken in half
- 3 1/2 litres of water
- 1/2 litre white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 2 strips lemon peel
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 2/2 tespoons saffrom threads, crushed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Method:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, leek and fennel and cook slowly over a moderate heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally.
Stir in the garlic, tomatoes and celery. Raise the heat and cook for 5 minutes.
Add water, wine, fih trimmings and stir. Toss int he remaining ingredients and cook uncovered over low heat for 45 mintues.
Strain the stock through a sieve ensuring you press fish trimmings and vegetables with a wooden spoon to extract all the flavours.
Ideally, make your stock 1 day in advance so the flavours are optimised. It can also be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you want to store it longer, freeze it in 1/2 litre storage containers.