Clear Fish Broth

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients for the clear fish broth. The bones and heads of freshwater fish work best. I made mine from the bones and head of a river pike. Small whole fish make an excellent broth, too. Since they have so many tiny bones, they're cooked whole — don't scale them; just remove the gills, innards, and eyes. Rinse them well and tie them up in a clean piece of cheesecloth, which is how you'll cook them and then lift them out.

2. Step 2:

   

   Remove the gills from the fish heads, and be sure to remove the eyes — they'll cloud the broth, and once that happens nothing will clear it. Rinse the bones and heads thoroughly under cold water to wash off as much protein as possible, since it's the protein that curdles during cooking and clouds the broth. Put them in a heavy-bottomed pot.

3. Step 3:

   

   Pour cold water into the pot. Cold water is what lets the nutrients move into the broth — if you pour hot water over the bones, the protein on the surface seizes up and blocks that. Use filtered water; it's much softer and brings out the flavor better.

4. Step 4:

   

   Wash the egg well and separate the white from the yolk. You won't need the yolk; just break up the white with a fork, but don't whip it. This is what's called an egg raft (clarifier). Pour the white into the pot and stir a little.

5. Step 5:

   

   Set the pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, skimming off the foam, for 5–10 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   A skimming spoon or a small fine-mesh sieve is perfect for this.

7. Step 7:

   

   Peel the carrot and onion and char them in a hot, dry skillet. This gives the broth a golden color and deepens the flavor.

8. Step 8:

   

   Add the charred vegetables and the allspice to the pot. Instead of allspice, you can use regular black pepper or Sichuan pepper.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add the rest of the ingredients to the broth. The more spices and herbs you add, the stronger the flavor and the brighter the color — but don't overdo it, or you'll bury the taste of the fish.

10. Step 10:

    

    Cook over the lowest heat for 30–40 minutes. One of the main rules for any broth is not to let it boil hard. And don't cover the pot — that clouds the broth, too. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely, uncovered.

11. Step 11:

    

    Strain the fish broth through a sieve lined with a clean cloth or several layers of cheesecloth. If you'll use the broth for aspic, skim the fat off the surface: strain it through a layer of cotton wool wrapped in cheesecloth, or lay a paper towel on the surface so the fat clings to it. Repeat until the surface is clean.

12. Step 12:

    

    Enjoy using it.