Sophia's Homemade Seafood Stock

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 260 min
Servings: 10
Yield: 10 servings

Description

This tasty homemade seafood stock is the perfect base for making seafood soups, paella, and a variety of other dishes.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped
4 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 large green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 bunch fresh oregano
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 (1 liter) bottles water
1/2 pound fish parts (such as bones, spine, and tail)
2 large fish heads
2 cups clam juice
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Directions

1 Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stockpot. Cook and stir onions in the hot oil for 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and bell peppers and saute for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro, oregano, and bay leaves. Saute for 2 minutes more. Add water, fish parts, fish heads, clam juice, and peppercorns.
2 Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. Turn off heat and let cool for about 30 minutes.
3 Remove bulk items from stock using a skimmer or slotted spoon. Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large container, making sure all fish bones have been removed. Use or freeze for future use.