There are literally hundreds of different types of sauces that can be made, each having tremendous potential to increase the variety – isn’t variety the spice of life? – of ways that food can be prepared and presented. And the resulting world of flavors can do wonders for even the simplest of dishes. As far as I know, there are only really two basic “stocks”– starting points – from which all of these sauces begin. Since this is fishing, let’s concentrate on what I learned as fish voluté, or more simply, fish stock. It is
extremely simple to make and store, and with it as a “base”, there are an incredible number of very tasty sauces that will enhance your favorite fish to the point where your friends will swear that you took lessons from
Jacques Pepin and Julia Child!
Ingredients:
All you will need are some fresh fish carcasses, gutted, gilled and rinsed, maybe a bit of chicken bouillon and water. If you are on the lake with kitchen facilities, the task is pretty simple: ask the dock boy. The carcasses normally get thrown away… what a waste! If you are at home, go to the local market – if they offer fresh fish – and ask for some carcasses. If they charge you at all, it certainly won’t be very much.
Instructions:
Get a
large
stockpot, fill with about 2-3 quarts of water and add the fish and a bit of chicken stock if desired. You could add small amounts of vegetables such as carrots and perhaps a green onion or two, but the less “other” flavors that are present, the more directions you can go with the sauces later. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, skimming and discarding any foam that accumulates on the surface of the stock. Cook until you have reduced the liquid to 3-4 cups. That’s it. You
now have the “essence” of whatever fish you used. The milder the fish used, the milder the resulting stock will be. By the way, walleye makes GREAT stock! And in case you’re wondering, as long as the carcasses are fresh, there will be almost no smell whatsoever.
Whatever stock you don’t plan to use immediately can be poured into ice-cube trays and frozen. The cubes can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer for long periods without losing any of their
"magic".
