Ingredients
2lbfish trimmings,heads and bones from scaled and gutted fish from one or more kinds of non oily fish such as flounder and halibut
8cupscold water
½cupdry white wine,or ½ lemon
1medium onion
1large leek
6sprigfresh parsley with stems
2sprigfresh thyme
6black peppercorns
Preparation
Wash fish bones well under running cold water. With kitchen shears, snip off and discard gills from the inside head if still attached, and break or cut all the bones into 3-inch pieces.
If bones are bloody, soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water every 10 minutes.
Drain the fish bones and place them in a 4-quart saucepan. Add 2 quarts of water, the wine or lemon, onion, leek, parsley, thyme, and peppercorns. Add more water if needed to barely cover the ingredients.
Heat the stock slowly to a boil over medium heat, partially cover, and simmer gently over low heat for 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms during simmering with a large serving spoon.
Strain the stock through a colander lined with cheesecloth into another large pot, pressing gently on the ingredients to extract the juices.
Use stock immediately or cool quickly in an ice bath and store up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
