Brown, Fish and Other Stocks
Cooking Skills: Soups and Stocks 1
Chapter 2 · Brown, Fish and Other Stocks
Skill goal
Roast for colour, make a short fish stock, and concentrate and freeze stock so it is always to hand.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Different stocks suit different jobs. A brown stock uses roasted bones and vegetables for a deep colour and a savoury, almost meaty taste, and takes about 4 hours. A fish stock is the opposite: only 20 to 25 minutes, because fish bones turn bitter and cloudy if cooked longer. A mushroom stock is a fast vegetarian stock with a rich, earthy flavour. No alcohol is used: roasting and a spoon of tomato paste give the depth that wine would.
Concentrating stock is the cook's trick for storage. Simmer a stock down to a quarter of its volume and freeze it in ice-cube trays, and you have home-made 'cubes' with no salt or additives, to dilute with water. Use brown stock for the sauces in Cooking Skills: Sauces 2, chapter 1, and fish stock for the stews in Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 2, chapter 3. The fish stock recipe here is the same as the one in Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 2, chapter 2, shortened to the essentials.
The method
- Roast bones and vegetables at 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) until deep brown, but not burnt, which makes the stock bitter.
- Add a spoon of tomato paste to the tray for the last 10 minutes to deepen the colour and flavour.
- Deglaze the tray with hot water, scraping up the brown bits (they are flavour), and add them to the pot.
- Keep fish stock short, 20 to 25 minutes, and use only white fish bones.
- Reduce to concentrate, then freeze in ice-cube trays and bag them up, labelled.
| Stock | Method | Time (approximate) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown beef | Roast first, then simmer | 4 hours | Gravy, onion soup, beef and barley soup |
| Fish | No roasting, simmer only | 25 minutes | Fish stews, chowders, seafood soups |
| Mushroom | Simmer with dried mushrooms | 30 minutes | Vegetarian soups and risotto |
| Concentrated | Reduce by half to three quarters | 30 to 60 minutes more | Storage in ice-cube trays |
Hot oven, hot pot, stock safety and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: roasting tins and frying pans for browning are very hot and fat spits. Use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Allergens in soup and stock: celery is one of the 14 major allergens and is in most stocks and stock cubes. Check cubes for celery, gluten, milk, soya, mustard and sulphites, and tell guests what is in the pot, because soup hides ingredients.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Mushroom stock
Dried porcini give a deep, meaty taste, and fresh mushroom trimmings add more. Soak the porcini first, keep the soaking liquid (strain it, because it is gritty) and add it to the pot.
Ingredients (about 1 litre)
- 20 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms or trimmings, sliced
- 1 onion, halved, skin on
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1.2 litres cold water
- Soak the porcini in 300 ml hot water for 20 minutes, lift them out and strain the liquid through a fine sieve or coffee filter.
- Put all the ingredients and the strained soaking liquid in a pan with the remaining water. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer gently for 30 minutes, strain, cool and chill.
Hot pot, storage and allergens
Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Allergens in soup and stock: celery is one of the 14 major allergens and is in most stocks and stock cubes. Check cubes for celery, gluten, milk, soya, mustard and sulphites, and tell guests what is in the pot, because soup hides ingredients.
Level 2 · Quick
A 25-minute fish stock
Ask the fishmonger for white fish bones and heads (never oily fish, which makes it greasy and strong), rinse out the blood, and remove the gills, which turn it bitter. Fish stock must not simmer longer than 25 minutes.
Ingredients (about 1 litre)
- 1 kg white fish bones and heads (gills removed), chopped and rinsed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 celery stick, sliced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 parsley stalks
- 6 white peppercorns
- 1.5 litres cold water
- 2 lemon slices
- Put everything in a large pan and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim the scum.
- Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes only.
- Strain through a fine sieve, cool quickly in an ice bath, chill and use within 1 day, or freeze.
Fish bones, hot pot and storage
Bones in stock: strain stock through a sieve before it goes near children or anyone eating from it, because small bones come loose in long simmering. Cooked chicken bones splinter, so never give them to dogs.Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Allergens: contains fish.
Level 3 · Brown
Brown beef stock
The deepest stock. Roast the bones until they are dark brown, add the vegetables and tomato paste, deglaze the tray, and simmer for 4 hours. It sets firmly when cold. Keep the heat low so it stays clear, and strain well.
Ingredients (about 2 litres)
- 1.5 kg beef bones (knuckle, marrow or shin on the bone)
- 2 onions, quartered, skin on
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 8 black peppercorns
- 3 litres cold water
- Roast the bones and vegetables in a tray at 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once, until deep brown. Smear with the tomato paste and roast for 10 minutes more.
- Tip everything into a pan, deglaze the tray with a little hot water and add it, then add the herbs, peppercorns and cold water. Bring slowly to a simmer and skim.
- Simmer very gently, partly covered, for 4 hours. Strain, cool fast, chill and lift off the fat.
Hot oven, hot pot, raw beef and storage
Hot pan and hot oil: roasting tins and frying pans for browning are very hot and fat spits. Use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Raw beef: keep raw beef bones on their own board and wash hands and tools afterwards.
Level 3 · Concentrate
Reducing and freezing stock cubes
Take a strained chicken, brown or vegetable stock and boil it down to a quarter of the volume, then freeze it in ice-cube trays. Each cube makes about 100 ml of stock when diluted with water. It tastes better than a shop cube, and has no added salt.
Ingredients (about 24 cubes)
- 2 litres strained chicken, brown or vegetable stock
- 2 ice cube trays
- 1 freezer bag
- 1 permanent marker
- Pour the stock into a wide pan and simmer, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes until reduced to about 500 ml, skimming now and then.
- Cool in an ice bath, then pour into ice cube trays and freeze for 3 hours.
- Pop the cubes into a labelled freezer bag, dated. Use within 3 months. Dilute 1 cube to about 4 parts water, then season.
Hot pot, freezing and storage
Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Freezing: label the bag with the type and date, and use within about 3 months (general guidance). Defrost in a pan over a gentle heat or in the fridge, and boil until steaming hot.
Experiments
Experiment
Roasted or pale bones
Colour and flavour.
- Make two small stocks from the same bones, one roasted dark and one simply simmered.
Look for: The roasted one is dark and savoury; the unroasted one is pale and thin.
Experiment
Tomato paste or none
Depth.
- Roast one tray with tomato paste and one without.
Look for: The tomato paste adds colour, sweetness and a gentle acidity; the plain tray is flatter.
Experiment
Skimmed or not
Clarity.
- Skim one pot for the first 20 minutes and leave another untouched.
Look for: The skimmed stock is clear and clean-tasting; the unskimmed one is cloudy with grey foam mixed in.
Experiment
Reduced by half or three quarters
Strength.
- Reduce two portions of the same stock, one by half and one by three quarters, and taste each diluted.
Look for: The three-quarters reduction makes more portions per cube and has a richer flavour, but it is easier to over-salt, so season last.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mushroom stock | ||||
| Fish stock | ||||
| Brown beef stock | ||||
| Stock cubes | ||||
| Roasted or pale bones | ||||
| Tomato paste or none | ||||
| Skimmed or not | ||||
| Reduced by half or three quarters |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bitter brown stock | Bones or vegetables burnt | Roast to deep brown, not black; add the paste late |
| Cloudy fish stock | Boiled or simmered too long | Keep to 25 minutes and a gentle heat |
| Bitter fish stock | Gills left in or too long | Remove the gills; stop at 25 minutes |
| Stock won't set | Too much water or too few bones | Use less water or reduce it; add a trotter next time |
| Freezer cubes taste stale | Stored too long or uncovered | Bag them tightly; use within 3 months |
| Mushroom stock gritty | Soaking liquid not strained | Strain through a coffee filter |
Hot oven, stock safety and freezing
Hot pan and hot oil: roasting tins and frying pans for browning are very hot and fat spits. Use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away.Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Hot pot and hot steam: a big pan of simmering stock or soup is heavy and scalding. Keep the handle turned in, use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you move it.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can roast bones for a brown stock.
- I can make a fish stock without making it bitter.
- I can make a stock from mushrooms.
- I can reduce stock and freeze it as cubes.
- I know which stock suits which dish.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Soups and Stocks 1, chapter 3 is Clear Soups and Broths: keeping a soup clear and building flavour in layers.