Fish Head Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy stockpot and to it add the olive oil. Add the fish bones and cook them over low heat, covered, until any flesh on them flakes from the bones. Add the vegetables and any shells from the shrimp, cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables sweat, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping up any particles sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the saffron, thyme, and basil.
• Add the fish stock or water, and let the mixture gently boil for 1 hour. Then puree it in a food processor or pass it through a food mill. Pass the puree through a medium strainer into a clean stockpot. Stir in the Pernod. Season the base, to taste, with salt, pepper and cayenne. The soup should have a full-bodied flavor: If it seems weak, reduce it over low heat to concentrate the flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Skim any fish oil from the top of the soup and reserve it to stir into the rouille.
• Toast the croutons in the oven until golden, and then brush with rouille.
• Bring the soup to a boil. Add the shellfish and/or uncooked fish fillets to the soup, 1 variety at a time. Cook each until done; then remove from the soup and keep warm. (The lobsters will take about 10 minutes and their shells will be bright red when done; medium shrimp will take 3 or 4 minutes to cook; fish fillets from 1 to 7 minutes, depending on their thickness (they should remain slightly underdone); and the mussels and clams only cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until their shells open).
• Presentation: Place 1 crouton in the bottom of each large, shallow, heated soup plates. Then arrange the fish and/or shellfish around each crouton. Ladle the hot soup over all. Serve immediately. Pass additional rouille in a separate serving bowl.
• Clean the fish bones under cold running water, removing the gills from the head and any traces of blood on the frames.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil. In it sweat the fish bones and vegetables over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent them from browning.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine, and then add enough water to cover the bones and vegetables by 2 inches. Add the bouquet garni and bring the liquid to a boil. Skim the froth from the surface, reduce the heat, and simmer the stock for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Strain the stock into a clean saucepan. Bring it to a boil and reduce it over medium heat to 1 quart.
• Note: Fish stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. After that time the flavor begins to fade.
• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, and chili flakes. Whisk in the oil in a very slow steady stream until the sauce begins to emulsify. Add the remaining oil in a thin stream until all of it is incorporated. Add the saffron. Thin the sauce with the stock and season, to taste, with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the cod cheek(s) or other non-only fish head(s) (make sure those gills are removed!) and the chicken liver. Allow the water to come back to a boil, then remove it from the heat. Drain the water from the pot and discard the liquid. Set the semi-cooked fish and liver aside to cool.
• Remove any meat from the fish bones; discard bones, set aside meat. Dice the cooked liver into 3/8-inch pieces; set aside.
• Fill a small bowl with boiling water and soak the mushroom pieces in the hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
• Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and let them blanch for 10 seconds. Remove them with a sieve or skinner and immediately run them under cold water to halt the cooking. Squeeze any excess water from the leaves and set aside.
• Bring the saucepan of water back to a boil and blanch the snow peas for 10 seconds, then remove the peas and run them under cold water. Set them aside.
• In a pot bring the chicken broth to a boil, then add the bamboo shoots, chicken liver pieces, fish meat, and soaked mushroom pieces. Gently simmer over low heat until the fish flakes easily.
• Whisk the cornstarch together with the 1/3 cup cold water, then gradually stir it into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and cook just until the soup thickens, then remove from heat.
• Add the blanched spinach and snow peas.
• While the soup is still piping hot, gradually add the egg whites while stirring constantly.
• Serve in a soup tureen, garnished with the chopped green onions.

Steps:

• Boil fish heads in water to make a stock. Start with about 3 cups of the stock and add can of soup and mix well. Bring to a slow simmer. Add seafood and precooked rice. Add more stock if it's too thick. Simmer for about eight minutes till seafood is cooked but not overcooked. Serve.

Steps:

• Rinse fish with lemon juice; drain.
• Bring water to a boil in a large bowl. Add fish; simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Strain fish, reserving broth. Let fish cool. Remove bones, trying to keep large pieces of fish intact.
• Bring broth to a boil. Add green bananas, pumpkin, potatoes, corn, carrots, okra, scallions, chile pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in fish. Simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes more.
• Remove soup from heat and let stand before serving, about 30 minutes. Discard chile pepper.