Fish stock is an incredibly versatile ingredient that can add rich, briny flavor to all kinds of dishes While fresh fish stock is delicious, frozen stock works just as well in most recipes The freezing process helps concentrate flavors and makes fish stock easy to store for months at a time.
If you have some frozen fish stock on hand, don’t let it languish in your freezer! Here are 12 delicious ways to put that fish stock to use.
1. Make Seafood Chowder
Chowder is a classic comfort food that’s perfect for chilly weather Adding fish stock to your chowder recipe pumps up the seafood flavor
Sauté aromatics like onion, celery, and garlic in butter or olive oil. Add potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Then pour in white wine or clam juice and let it reduce. Pour in fish stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Finally, add seafood like clams, shrimp, cod, crab, or lobster. Season with thyme, oregano, paprika, and cayenne.
Fish stock gives the chowder a deep, ocean-like flavor that takes this hearty soup to the next level.
2. Poach Delicate Fish
Poaching is a gentle cooking method that works beautifully with more delicate types of fish like halibut, cod, snapper, and sole. Poaching in fish stock infuses the fish with lots of flavor.
Heat your fish stock with aromatics like lemon, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring it to a bare simmer then add your fish fillets. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
The fish soaks up all the flavors from the stock for a delicately poached filet. Serve it over spinach or with a creamy lemon-caper sauce.
3. Make Seafood Risotto
Buttery, creamy risotto gets an upgrade when you use fish stock as the cooking liquid. It adds a subtle briny flavor that pairs perfectly with shrimp, scallops, mussels, or any other seafood.
Sauté onion and garlic, then add arborio rice and a splash of white wine. Ladle in hot fish stock, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Once the rice is al dente, stir in seafood and cook 1-2 more minutes. Finish with butter and parmesan.
The fish stock gives this traditional Italian dish a taste of the sea.
4. Craft Fish & Veggie Pot Pies
Pot pies are comfort food at its finest. Use fish stock in the filling to ramp up the flavor even more.
First, poach chunks of cod, halibut, or salmon in fish stock flavored with aromatics. Remove the fish and set aside. Then, simmer veggies like leeks, carrots, peas, and potatoes in the stock until almost tender.
Transfer the veggie mixture into ramekins and top with the poached fish. Cover with a round of puff pastry and bake until golden. Serve piping hot with a squeeze of lemon.
5. Make Seafood Paella
No paella is complete without a rich, flavorful stock. Fish stock adds tons of flavor to this traditional Spanish rice dish.
Begin by sautéing onion, garlic, and tomato in olive oil until softened. Add your rice and let it toast for 1-2 minutes. Then pour in fish stock along with spices like saffron. Simmer until the rice is almost done.
Finally, mix in squid, shrimp, mussels, and clams. Cook just until the seafood is opaque. The fish stock infuses the whole dish with its essence for proper paella flavor.
6. Steam Clams, Mussels or Lobster
Steaming seafood in fish stock is an easy way to add lots of extra flavor. The stock gently cooks the seafood while imparting a delicious, briny note.
For clams or mussels, simply bring fish stock to a simmer in a large pot with some garlic, onions, or wine. Add in the shellfish, cover, and cook until the shells open wide.
For lobster, use a couple inches of fish stock in the bottom of a large skillet. Add lobster tails or claws, cover, and steam for 5-7 minutes until the meat is opaque.
Serve the seafood with the infused cooking liquid for an easy, impressive meal.
7. Make Weeknight Seafood Stew
Seafood stews are easy, tasty one-pot meals that work for both weeknights or casual get-togethers. Frozen fish stock makes it simple to whip up flavorful stew on a whim.
Sauté aromatics like onion, celery, and garlic. Add carrots, potatoes, and simmer until slightly softened. Pour in fish stock, tomatoes, and spices like cayenne and paprika. Bring to a boil then add seafood like halibut, shrimp, scallops or cod. Simmer just until the fish is cooked through.
The fish stock gives a flavor boost to this humble stew. Serve it with crusty bread to soak up the tasty broth.
8. Craft Rich Seafood Bisques
A classic bisque gets its signature flavor from seafood stock. While lobster stock is traditional, fish stock makes a more accessible and budget-friendly alternative.
Make a quick sauce by cooking flour in butter for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in hot fish stock, then add heavy cream. Simmer and stir until thickened. Stir in sautéed shrimp, crab, lobster or crawfish. Finish with sherry and plenty of black pepper.
Thanks to the fish stock, this bisque delivers on rich shellfish flavor with a velvety texture. Fancy restaurant quality at home!
9. Make Seafood Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a flavorful Creole rice dish that’s easy to make at home. Frozen fish stock provides an authentic touch.
First, sauté the classic jambalaya trinity of onion, celery, and green pepper. Add rice and coat the grains with oil. Pour in fish stock, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning.
Once the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, mix in shrimp, crawfish, chicken or andouille sausage. The fish stock gives it that coastal Louisiana flavor.
10. Craft Thai Seafood Curry
Thai curry gets its signature flavor from curry paste and coconut milk. Adding fish stock makes it even richer.
Sauté curry paste and aromatics until fragrant. Add fish stock and coconut milk, along with spices like lime, ginger, lemongrass, and chili pepper. Simmer until thickened.
Finally, mix in seafood like shrimp, scallops, squid or cod. Cook just until opaque. The fish stock gives the curry a savory undertone that perfectly complements the coconut milk.
Serve it over jasmine rice for a tasty Thai-inspired meal.
11. Make Seafood Pho
Pho is a popular Vietnamese noodle soup that usually uses beef or chicken stock. For a seafood spin, swap in fish stock for a flavorful broth.
Start by simmering fish stock with traditional pho aromatics like onion, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon. Add rice noodles, seafood like shrimp and scallops, and herbs. Top it off with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, chili sauce, and hoisin.
The fish stock makes this already delicious soup even better. Customize it with your favorite pho toppings.
12. Bake Seafood En Papillote
Cooking en papillote, or in parchment paper, lets seafood steam gently in its own juices. A little fish stock enhances the flavors even more.
Cut parchment paper into a heart or half-moon shape. Place fish fillets or shrimp in the center and top with sliced veggies. Pour a bit of fish stock and wine over the top. Seal the paper packet and bake 15-20 minutes.
The fish stock bastes the seafood while sealing in moisture. Serve the dish in the unopened parchment for dramatic tableside flair.
The versatility of fish stock makes it an invaluable ingredient for any home cook. Whether you use it for steaming, poaching, simmering or baking, frozen fish stock adds quick flavor to seafood dishes. Keep a supply in your freezer so you can easily add ocean essence to all kinds of recipes.
Freeze your fish stock for 4-6 months if you can’t use it now.[26]
- You can use frozen fish stock again if you made too much of it. Put your fish stock into a container that won’t let air in or a heavy-duty freezer bag. Put the container or bag in the freezer and write the date on it. Thaw it in the fridge before you use it. If your fish stock starts to smell, taste, or look strange, you should throw it away. [27] If you want to use the fish stock soon, you can keep it in the fridge for 3–4 days after making it.
Make a spicy fish soup with your stock.[12]
- For about 17 minutes, cook some onion, garlic, chili powder, and cayenne. Soak some saffron in white wine, tomatoes, and the stock. As the onion cooks, add it and then boil the stock. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Go ahead and be creative with your fish soup. There are many kinds you can try. [13] If you want to get fancy, burn off the alcohol in some anise liquor in a saucepan and then add it to the soup right before you serve it. Be careful. If you want to make fish soup, don’t use a stock made from flat-fish bones as the base. You could burn your kitchen. When fish stocks are cooked for more than 20 minutes, they tend to taste bitter.
Homemade Fish Stock: cooking time 20 min. Use it or freeze it!
How do you make fish stock?
To make fish stock, bring it to the boil, skim off the scum, then turn down the heat and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, add parsley stalks, herbs, and lemon slices, then cover with cling film and leave to infuse for a further 30 minutes. Using a ladle, scoop out the stock and pass it through a sieve lined with muslin cloth into a container.
How do you freeze salmon stock?
Add the wine, water, spices, and salt and bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a clean muslin cloth and strain the stock into a clean pot. Discard the vegetables and the fish bones. Store: Pour the salmon stock into clean jars, let cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.
Can you freeze fish stock?
Fish stock is a versatile and flavorful base that can elevate both seafood and vegetarian dishes. Use fish stock to flavor soups, stews, sauces, risottos, pies, and paellas. If you made too much fish stock, pour it in an airtight container and freeze it for 4-6 months. Cook up a tasty fish stew with your stock.
How long does frozen fish stock last?
Frozen fish stock can last up to 2 months. When making fish stock, go to your local fishmonger for the best bones from whole fish. Use white fish, such as flounder, sole, snapper, sea bass, or cod for the stock. Avoid bones from strongly flavored, oily fish such as salmon and mackerel.