I used to be like most people and just throw out all my fish heads, guts and bones and never think twice about it. But with an ever- tightening wallet comes a new mindfulness of what is being wasted and
I used to be like most people and just throw out all my fish heads, guts and bones and never think twice about it. But with an ever- tightening wallet comes a new mindfulness of what is being wasted and along with it a new sense for adventurous eating.
Why eat fish heads you may ask? They are amazingly tasty when used to make fish stock — a vital ingredient in many seafood soup and stew recipes. Homemade fish stock is a great source of minerals and nutrients far superior to that of store-bought stocks — and bottled vitamin supplements for that matter. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your health and save money, best learn to make stocks of all kinds which are a great source of protein, calcium, phosphorus and collagen — all key components of healthy skin, bones and joints.
This recipe makes about six to eight servings when finished, but it can be adjusted to make larger or smaller portions — just use your intuition and modify it to suit your personal needs. Extras may be frozen for later use.
For all ingredients I recommend using organic and whatever can be bought at local farmers markets or fished out of the sea. Most varieties of fish will work but make sure it is of a non-oily variety such as reef fish.
Other tips: Keep the burner extremely low — if you don’t you risk ruining your stock’s flavor, degrading the nutritional content and ending up with a fishy, stank mess. There should just be a small bubble, not a rapid boil.
Also, when adding additional water, do so gradually as the stock simmers down, not all at once, this will ensure that your stock stays flavorful and potent in a good way. As long as the heat is low you can keep the stock simmering for up to 24 hours — this is not fast-food. I have found that it is a good idea to leave a crack in the top of your pot to allow some steam to escape — this will ensure that your stock doesn’t boil over or get too hot and spoil.
Resources on traditional foods: ‘Eat Fat Loose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats’ by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig; ‘Nourishing Traditions’ by Sally Fallon; ‘Nutrition and Physical Degeneration’ by Weston A. Price
Online: Weston A. Price Foundation: www.westonaprice.org; www.eatfatlosefat.com
Spicy Coconut Shrimp and Veggie Soup
Servings: Roughly 6-8
For the stock:
1-3 fish carcasses depending on size, including heads
1 tablespoon butter
1 red onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 whole carrots with skins, chopped
2-4 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
1-3 spicy Hawaiian red peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon Braggs apple cider vinegar
Dash or two of Himalayan sea salt to taste
Water
For the soup:
8-10 cups fish stock (see above)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
8 or more whole big shrimp (Kaua‘i-farmed shrimp is a fresh choice and more sustainable since it’s not shipped half-way around the world)
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 package of frozen coconut milk, thawed (Look next to the juice in the frozen foods isle)
3-4 stocks of celery, chopped
2-3 whole carrots, chopped
1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
1-2 leeks, chopped
2 tablespoons of red currie paste
Dash or four of cayenne pepper to taste
Dash or four of paprika to taste
Cilantro, chopped (as much as you want)
Dash or two Himalayan sea salt to taste
Starting with the stock: Put fish carcasses in pot, fill with water, 1 tablespoon vinegar and set aside. In a frying pan add butter, onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add to pot and turn burner on medium. Add carrots, celery, peppers and sea salt. When the water heats up to almost boiling, turn burner to low and cover pot leaving a small crack to let the steam out. Now you can go do your thing while the stock does it’s thing.
Come back and check every few hours to add more water as needed. You can let the stock go as long as you want from 3 – 24 hours. When done strain stock. If you have too much stock you can either let it simmer longer until more liquid has evaporated or just freeze the extra.
For the soup: Put stock in clean pot and put on medium burner. In a separate frying pan heat the butter then add garlic and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent then add the shrimp, whole, with shells on. Next sprinkle with sea salt, cayenne and paprika. Add tomatoes, cilantro and coconut milk. Cover and let simmer for about 6-10 minutes. Empty pan into pot and stir. Now add the remaining ingredients, turn down heat, cover and let simmer for about 1-2 hours.
Serve soup in bowls and garnish with a sprig or cilantro.
