It’s fishing season, and I’m parking some of my favorite fish soup recipes - as well as new ideas - here.
Whatcha got?
I haven’t made this yet.
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At a local omakase last week, the chef talked about making fish broth out of whatever fish bones he had on hand. He does a quick blanch to remove any skin, extra oil, etc., and then simmers the bones for a few hours. He’ll mix different fish bones if he has to, including shellfish shells and parts if he has them. He was able to make a really delicious fish broth with this that he used in a dish with yuba (“tofu skin”), conger eel, and some rapini. It was light but so delicious.
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What I made last night. Also, I will be forever grateful for you sharing the lohikeitto recipe with us 
Also, this HO favorite:
And this, bc I usually add a white fish or shrimp to it:
A lonely German entry:
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Way too hot for this at the moment, but it’s from a restaurant in Maine that I like a lot.
1 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs onion, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 ½ c stock
½ c potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
¼ lb fish
½ c heavy cream
½ tsp kosher salt
black pepper
pinch dried dill
In a 5- to 7-quart pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
Pour the water into a 3- to 4-quart pot and add the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the fish to the potato liquid and simmer until the fish begins to flake, about 10 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and add it and the potatoes to the cooked onions in the larger pot. Stir.
Slowly add the potato/fish broth and the heavy cream to the onion/fish/potato mixture. Stir well. Add the salt and white pepper; then add the dill. Simmer gently over low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.
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I need to find a really good crab bisque recipe. I know at least part of the secret to it is to simmer the shells from the crab and any extra sheimp/lobster/crawfish you happen to have on hand.
But who has that stuff on hand?!?
When I buy shrimp, I get frozen, raw, headless and deveined, but I use them in single serving portions. 6-8 at a time. And you can’t exactly freeze shrimp shells til you have enough. The odor of day old shrimp shells is NOT something one wants anywhere in their house.
Am I wrong? Should I be freezing my shells til
I have enough to simmer to stock?
Of course you can. That’s exactly what I do.
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I accidentally tossed shrimp shells in the garbage once, and the smell was SO AWFUL that I have been terribly reticent to attempt it. I assumed (wrongly?) that even with freezing, the shells would degrade and thawing them would release the stench. Now, shells go either down the disposal or out to the garbage outside IMMEDIATELY.
If it matters, the shells on the shrimp I pick up at the local Save Mart seem VERY thin and tear easily. I always assumed this was some sort of damage from the freezing process.
I guess I’ll be saving shrimp shells now. My partner is gonna think I’m absolutely insane.
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I save the shells (usually from Trader Joe’s raw tail-on shrimp), and other random fish bones and whatnot, in a ziploc in the fridge. They smell the same as everything else in the fridge - like nothing, because they’re frozen. When I have enough, I make bouillabaisse or chowder or risotto.
Your other option is to buy a bag of seafood scraps from a fish store, which (in NYC) will cost you between zero and three dollars.
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Same. I collect them in a bag in the freezer until I have enough. Then I use them for whatever shellfish/fish-themed dish is on the menu 
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I just eat them.
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Ive seen this done when they’ve been fried, but the idea of eating sautéed chitin sounds like a recipe for bleeding gums. Also, I don’t think chitin is generally digestible, and I don’t want to think about something thin and chipped working its way through the system, abrading things on the way out.
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I had the best of intentions last night, to make a soup with chunks of potato, halibut, salmon, and shrimp floating in a potato-based bisque-y soup. Bacon bits were fried until brown and crisp, green onion and garlic was sauteed. The potato was simmered in chicken stock and partially pureed with an immersion blender. The fish was leftover sous-vide, the shrimp was quickly seared. It all fell apart when I added the fish chunks to the potato puree soup and they instantly disintegrated. The shrimp didn’t float. The bacon bits lost their crunch. The swirl of Spanish EVOO spread out over the top.
Kind of ugly, but very tasty.
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Tasty > ugly any day.
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Interesting thread idea — I can think of a million seafood curries, but a lot fewer seafood soups!
Aside from lobster / crab / clam / fish chowders:
— Thai Tom Kha with shrimp (though I prefer the chicken version) and Tom Yum
— Seafood Laksa
— Malaysian fish head soup
— Wonton soup with a shrimp and chicken broth and shrimp and pork dumplings
— Chinese Sweet corn crab soup (I like better with canned creamed corn)
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Never thought to ask for fish bones / scraps for stock, but I did happen upon a salmon collar / head for $2 today.
I also read somewhere to save the skin from salmon fillets and the like for stock.
Re shrimp, I was taught that you can freeze them shell-on but no heads. So we always ate the heads the day they were bought.
Aesthetics can be overrated. But I understand your disappointment! The important thing is that it tasted good.
The best tasting jook I ever made started with a salmon head/carcass. Unfortunately, it stunk up the house, and I’ve been forbidden from ever making it again.
Here are a few for your consideration:
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