Have you ever wondered if there is anything you can do with leftover salmon or other fish carcasses? Have you been buying store-made fish stock and wondered how you could make great fish stock yourself?
Today I want to share with you how to make an easy salmon (or other fish) stock in less than an hour.
I remember going to pick up salmon from the fish counter of my local grocery store many years ago when I was still living in Seattle. They had run out of the pre-cut filets, so the gentleman at the fish counter kindly filleted the whole salmon I’d purchased, for me. As he wrapped up the fish, he asked “do you want the fish head and bones, as well?” I replied, “No thanks – what in the world would I do with them?” I didn’t have a clue.
Nowadays, the answer to that question is always, “Yes, of course!”, because I know a secret that I didn’t know then: those previously unwanted scraps make some of the best fish stock a person could hope for, and from there, you can launch hundreds of recipes into a completely new flavor arena without spending all day at the stove trying to find the depth of flavor you’re dreaming of.
A few days ago, I visited my local market in Hakaniemi, a neighborhood of Helsinki, for the specific reason that I wanted to buy a kilogram of the fish bones in order to make salmon stock. Today I want to share my method with you, because once you know how to do this, you have the beginnings of really delicious, savory, seafood dishes.
A few notes:
- Fish bones aren’t always for sale, but if you ask, most fish counters will be willing to sell or give them to you, since they are otherwise scrap that they have to get rid of at the end of the day. At Hakaniemi market hall, I paid €3 for one kilogram of fish bones.
- You can freeze the bones and heads from fish you catch yourself, and make the stock later if you don’t have time to make it immediately.
- Most fish will work for this stock – if you have other fish carcasses on hand, feel free to use them instead, keeping the amount of bones around 1 kilogram/2.2 pounds for this recipe.
- Include the head too – there is a lot of flavor in the head (and the cheeks, once cooked in the broth, are a delicious cook’s treat). Just make sure to remove the gills before adding the head to the stock pot.
- Rinse the fish parts to remove all leftover blood and viscera – it’ll create scum on the top of your broth. Don’t worry if there is a little left – it’ll rise to the top of the broth during the early stages of cooking, and you can simply skim it off.
- If you have used leeks recently in a recipe, save the leek tops and add them to this stock, or other stock recipes. They add a really nice flavor that complements the onion. Also, you can replace one onion with one whole leek, including the greens, if that is what you have on hand.
- Stocks are a great way to use up vegetable scraps: when I’m peeling carrots I save the peel; when I cut up celery stalks I save the leaves; when I use the white part of the leek I save the greens – and pretty soon, you have all the ingredients you need for making a great stock. All of the above freeze well, so you can keep a ziplock bag in the freezer, and add to it until the day you want to make stock.
- If you don’t have whole peppercorns or whole allspice, you can sub in 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.
- This fish stock freezes really well. I typically freeze it in labeled, 2 cup / half-liter portions so I can quickly add it to risottos, soups, or use as poaching liquid.
Salmon Stock
- 2.2 pounds / 1 kg salmon bones, including head (gills removed), rinsed
- 10 cups / 2.5 liters cold water
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and cut into 4-6 pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 2 medium carrots, washed and cut into 6 pieces each
- 1 stalk celery, cut into pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons fresh or frozen parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 10 black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife
- 5 whole allspice, crushed with a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife
Place all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Bring to a full boil over high heat; then reduce heat to medium so the stock continues to cook at a low, gentle boil. You want it to be just barely bubbling. With a spoon, remove an scum that has risen to the top of the stock and discard. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Add 1.5 teaspoons salt, and allow the mixture to boil for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Place a large stainless steel colander over a large bowl, and pour the broth mixture through the colander in order to catch all of the solids. Discard the solids (some people like to save the carrots, and remove the fish still attached to the bones for another use; it’s up to you). If you want a stock with no residue, strain the stock one more time through a fine mesh colander into another bowl.
You can use the stock immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Makes approximately 8 cups/2 liters.
Did you like this post? Have you made salmon or other fish stock? Do you have any questions about the process? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Hi and thanks for the recipe, I am in the process of making this as we were lucky enough to purchase some fresh caught sockeye ; and again lucky enough to be given 10 lbs of fresh heads & bodies on the wharf where we purchased the salmon. My question is after you’ve listed the ingredients, in the instruction area where you say ” bring to a full boil over low heat” .. do you mean high heat ??
it may seem obvious that it is a typo, but I wondered if you meant that it should slowly over a long time come up to a boil ??/ but then your instructions say to reduce heat to medium.
Thanks
Hello Anna-Marie,
Thanks for the email, and for catching that error! You are absolutely right – it should read “high heat” and I have updated the post to reflect this. I hope you enjoyed the salmon stock – I’d love to have 10 lbs of fresh sockeye to use for this! I just made a version myself using a mixture of pike, perch, and whitefish heads and bodies over the weekend – really works well for any type of fish, and you can’t beat the flavor of a fish soup made with stock like this!
Best Regards,
Ann
Two days ago, my son caught a 32 lb salmon just outside the Golden Gate. He and his friend who caught a 24 pounder trimmed the fish into beautiful fillets. They also saved the trimmings and heads which I had asked for to make soup.
I grew up on the southwest coast of Norway where salmon was plentiful. I remember my mom making large batches of broth very similar to your recipe. She made both chowder, and a more lighter broth fish soup similar to the fish soup from northwest France, which had just sliced carrots, some onion and plenty of whatever fish was fresh that day.
So today when I came home with my treasure of fresh salmon heads and trimmings, I decided to look for some suggestions on the web. Needless to say I found your site, and I have the the pot simmering as I type this note.
I’m going to attempt my mom’s old recipe if I can remember it. Regardless it should be good.
Thanks for a great site.
Eat more fish, stay healthy.
Hello Rolf,
Thank you for the great story and nice message! Lucky you – I’d be happy with that kind of treasure, too. I hope you enjoyed the stock, and your mother’s chowder recipe! It sounds delicious!
Warmly,
Ann
What if i blend the whole pot for more flavorful stock with blender? Would you recommend that?
Hi Cendikia, I’d at least remove all the salmon bones and skin, first. It probably wouldn’t change the stock flavor as the long boiling time pulls the flavor from the individual ingredients into the stock, but it would make for a thicker, fuller stock rather than the thinner version here. Let me know if you tried it! I’d be very interested to hear the result! Best, Ann
So, here in San Francisco, CA, we have great salmon fishing. I’ve been a couple times over the last couple months and have caught some whoppers – a 13 lb, a 14 lb, and this past weekend, a 24 lb! The crew on the boat cleans and fillets them free of charge, and I always keep the roe and the carcasses (cause no one else ever wants them). I found your recipe, and I honestly had no idea what it would taste like in the end but I wanted to give it a shot. I’m SOOOOOO in love with this stock! I’m drinking it out of a mug by itself right now. It is SO good! I did add some apple cider vinegar as someone else had suggested, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. Thanks for posting this!
Hi Kristy! Thanks for the great feedback – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this – it’s a staple in our house, too. The addition of apple cider vinegar is a great idea and I’m going to try that next time! Best, Ann
Can i make this after we bbq the fish.will it still be okay to do it after the boes and fish were cooked in some way?
Hi Yolandi, that’s a good question! I’ve only every used this method using raw fish parts, so I don’t know what would happen with bbq’d fish; however, other stocks such as chicken & beef stock are typically made with cooked bones, so I would recommend you try it and see how it works! You’ll likely get a slightly smoky flavor from the BBQ, which could be an interesting flavor profile. Let me know how it goes! Best, Ann
Hi,
I’ve just made this recipe, it’s pretty good, but came out a little too oily/fatty, and the broth was more murky than clear. Do you have any suggestions? Do you think I just need to trim the meat/fat on my fish bones a little more?
Thanks
Hi!
Thank you for your comments!
I’d suggest either a) trim off some of the excess fat and discard before making this recipe and/or b) cool the broth completely and remove the layer of fat on the surface before using. To avoid murky broth, try not to stir the mixture too much. I hope this helps!
Warmly, Ann
let the stoke sit and rest then scrape of the top layer of fat and you sould be good
I tried this today using coho and chum bones from fish we caught in the summer and were smoking in rainy November. It’s so nice to use up every bit of our salmon catch. The stock came out nice and clear. Smells delicious! I added apple cider vinegar as someone else suggested , slow simmered a bit longer, and, the bones really gave up their goodness.
Thanks! I use it for my dog’s food as well as for soup. We all thank you!
Hi Sharon! Thanks for your feedback 🙂 Your coho & chum combo sounds really good. This is one of my favorite ways to use up every last bit of food – and I often save carrot peels, leek tops, celery leaves in my freezer, etc to throw in the broth too. Works great! I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed this! Best, Ann
Went Salmon fishing last night with my nephew & his mother. He caught a nice big fish. However…neither of them wanted to “mess” with it as they don’t like to touch them since they are a bit slimy….their loss, my gain! I filleted the fish (including removing the gills) then decided to save the carcass to make stock. I was so happy to find your post since I also had the the same problem a previous poster did regarding using Salmon for stock. I’ll be doing this up in the next 2 days…..can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thanks again!
Hi Robin! Lucky you! Fresh-caught salmon is so delicious. I hope you enjoy the salmon stock recipe – let me know how it goes. 🙂
Best, Ann
All done & ready to store except, one question…can this be canned instead of frozen? We don’t have a lot of freezer room…..
This sounds amazing! And just what I’m looking for, too. My boyfriend is a kosher-keeping Jewish guy and I’m Sicilian, so a lot of my family’s dishes use shellfish and I’ve been looking to find ways to switch it all out with salmon, tuna, and other kosher fish. My dad’s clam sauce with linguine (my favorite dish ever) calls for clam juice, and fish stock is the perfect substitute!
Angelin, I am so happy to hear this! I hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂 Best, Ann
Didn’t know to remove the gills – no wonder the broth I’ve made in the past was less than lovely. May I suggest adding 1/4 to 1/2 c. vinegar. It helps to dissolve the bones, adding more of their goodness to the broth and it gives a nice “brightness” to the broth. I prefer apple cider vinegar.
Thanks for the comment, Ann! The suggestion to add vinegar is good – I’m going to try that in my next batch. 🙂 Best, Ann
I’ve been wanting to make a fish “bone” broth because I’ve read that it is full of nutrients. I happened upon an inexpensive tray of salmon parts from a local Japanese grocery here in Pittsburgh then searched for a recipe. Every recipe (except this one) says you can’t make fish bone broth with salmon or any other “oily” fish. I was glad to see this recipe.
I didn’t have any celery or bay leaves, but I did have everything else. It smelled fantastic while cooking and my fish-hating husband even asked about the delicious-smelling food I was making – didn’t smell like fish at all!
I took some of the meaty bits and whizzed them up w/some of the broth; I’ll use this on my dog’s dry food. I’m planning on using this broth in a number of ways, including poaching salmon. I’m sure it will be fantastic.
Hi Amy, I’m so happy you found this Salmon Stock post and enjoyed it! We keep some in the freezer all of the time as it’s so handy to be able to pull it out whenever something needs a good flavor base. Plus, I love using the “leftover” parts of the fish to create something delicious. I like your use of the leftover salmon meat – great idea! Enjoy the Salmon Stock 🙂 Warmly, Ann
Was at the shops and found your recipe after spotting some salmon fish heads. I’m unable to eat onions and garlic so am trying without that but put prawn heads and shells in as well and some fennel. Oh god, I nearly died when I looked at the gills and realised I had to hold onto the fish head and cut them out, but after a few squeals i got down to business… I did cook the fish in the bottom of the pan until the bones were white as suggested in a different recipe I came across. I thought it might bring out the flavour. It’s been difficult flavour wise to make things with full flavours so I’m hoping this might work? Wish me luck… No to get rid of those gills..
Oh, Tomorrow I intend to use some of the stock to make a tofu soup I found… It has mung bean sprouts, ginger, bak Choy, stock, shitake mushrooms and tofu…
Michelle, thanks for making me laugh! I know what you mean about those gills – nice work on getting it done 🙂 Your tofu soup recipe sounds really delicious – hope you enjoyed it! Best, Ann
Trying out the salmon broth but sceptic .. Let see
Let me know what you think Nivedita! I think it adds a really nice depth to soups. 🙂
Glad to find this so I can use my salmon scraps they gave me when I bought the whole fish. Looking to use the salmon stock in some Asian soups while living here in Alaska next 5 months. Thanks!
You’re welcome Linda! I’d love some ideas on Asian soups from you – I love Asian flavors but don’t have a lot of experience with cooking them. Do you have any good recipes you could share? Enjoy Alaska…and that amazing salmon! I’m originally from Seattle, and miss the top-quality salmon we used go get from Alaska; though Norwegian wild salmon is pretty good as well. 🙂
Picked up a whole salmon other day as it happens. trying your recipe now cheeks and all 🙂 Many thanks!
Great to hear, Nathan! Enjoy!
Great Post! I’ve made fish stock with halibut bones in the past that turned out great but now the bones are expensive to buy. I eat a lot of salmon and have the whole salmon filleted where I keep the heads and bones. I’m excited to try this recipe. Great ideas about how to add stock to other dishes. Thanks!
Thanks Tracy! Great to hear from you. It’s one of my favorite things to have in the freezer. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
– Ann