I've cooked my way through all 264 recipes
in The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook!

September 17, 2010

Fish Stock (p. 109)

I've been putting off this fish stock recipe because it calls for the head and bones of "whatever is available at your local fishmonger." I don't think I have a fishmonger. I mean, I'm sure I do, I just have no idea where he is. I went to Fresh Market and asked if they happened to have any fish heads and bones laying about, but I was laughed at and told to try the Asian market. So I did.

I have somehow never been to our Asian market before,  but it's pretty much amazing. Beautiful fruits and veggies that I couldn't recognize and tons of seafood, both packed on ice and still alive.


Still, there was no way to get just the head and bones (at least that I could figure out) so I bought a cleaned fish with the head cut off. I was momentarily worried that they didn't actually give me the head, but I couldn't bring myself to go back to the counter. Luckily, when I got home and unpacked my little bag o' fish, that head was still there, looking at me.


I watched a YouTube video about filleting a grouper (which is what I had) and felt jazzed to try my hand at it.


So, I'm not great at filleting, it turns out. But this was only my first try, so I felt okay with it. There are my fillets, while I'll probably cook tonight in another recipe.


To make the stock, I threw the rest of the remaining fish (including the head) into my stock pot with onion, peppercorn, parsley, white wine, and cold water. I brought these to a simmer and let them cook for 45 minutes. 

Once the stock was done, I strained the aromatics out and poured the stock into a jar. 

I'll use this in some sort of fish stew this week.

grouper -- $11.88
parsley -- $.89
onion --  $1.08
Total Cost of Fish Stock: $13.85 (though this price includes the fillets I got out of it, which I'll use separately)

4 comments:

  1. Hello Katrina,
    I just discovered your blog and I am interested in the Mediterranean Diet. I was wondering if you eat that way and if you do, do you have any books/cookbooks that you could recommend? Thanks! Wanda

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  2. Okay....please forgive me! I just read your first post! Now that I feel like an idiot! Do you feel healthier eating this way? Love your blog! Wanda :)

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  3. Hi Wanda! Yes, my husband and I feel a lot healthier with this kind of cooking. We eat a lot more vegetables than we used to, and our main protein source is now fish instead of beef, which has been great. The Mediterranean Diet isn't something that will help you shed pounds quickly, but it's great for lifelong health. I'd definitely recommend "The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook," which is where all of my recipes come from, but there are lots of other Mediterranean cookbooks out there that are probably have quicker recipes. Basically, it's just incorporating a lot of healthy fats, fruits, and veggies into your diet. Thanks for visiting!

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  4. Thanks so mcuh for replying to my comments Katrina! I am 57 yr.s (young). I am on meds for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and was recently diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. I need to lose about 40 pounds and DON"T want to be on meds for the rest of my life! I have read so much about the Meditteranean diet that I think it would be a great way to go! Think I will look on Amazon for the book! Thanks again!

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Thanks for dropping by! Love, Katrina.