Fish stock is an underrated one too. I’ve been getting into making sushi from whole fish and inevitably you end up with some bits and pieces from the fish, like the pin bones or the leftover spine. Boil it with some ginger and you’ll get a tasty stock with a deep umami. Add in the fish head if you want some gelatin. You can even buy fish bones for very very cheap if you want to skip a step. Shrimp shells are another easy source for a savory broth.
Fish stock? Ah, add some white wine, mushrooms, and shallots and use it to poach some scallops. Reduce the stock, thicken with a flour-butter roux and add heavy cream. Combine with the scallops, heat through, broil to get a little browning on the top.
Used to do that a lot, and now that a local store has a lot of good looking scallops may again!
When I was young, I worked in restaurant kitchens. One dish we made, Coquilles Saint-Jacques, was essentially this. Of late, I've only seared scallops or wrapped bacon around them, but it was delicious and you may get me to go back to my old ways, at least once.
I've always struggled with fish stock, it comes out somehow bland. I've read different methods - removing all the meat and leaving only bones vs using skin/head etc. Do you have any tips? (also any tips for avoiding the whole house smelling of fish?)
The ginger helps with the aroma. What fish are you using? In theory you could age the bones for a few days, since ultra fresh fish actually has less glutamates. You can also roast the bones to get some light color. Or add in some kombu for more umami.
Also for shrimp/prawn shells, I've seen people cook the shells in oil. The shells are discarded and the oil can be used on noodles and in other dishes.
We usually make miso soup when we make sushi. We use the fish bits and pieces to make the dashi. This adds some nice flavor abd mouthfeel to the finished soup.
