Good fish stock can be hard to find in the grocery store, but it is easy to make with fish you catch!  You can make a delicious stock with any fish you catch and would want to eat, such as perch, bass, pickerel, trout, walleye, and pan fish. Clean and rinse the fish well before you fillet them.  Once you have your fillets, you can use what remains of the fish to make a stock.  Fish stock will last a few days in the refrigerator and can be frozen to use within 3 months or so.  It is perfect for making chowders, soups, or sauces.

Fish stock is also super healthy! It’s full of good fatty acids that support brain health and other important cellular functions in our bodies.

1. Rinse and remove entrails from freshly caught fish.  Lightly scrub the skin under cold water with your hand or a cloth, being careful of pokey fins.  Do not use soap, just cold water to remove any slime and to thoroughly clean the inner cavity.2. Remove the fillets from the fish to cook and enjoy however you’d like.  Then place what remains of the fish into a large stock pot.  3. Add some sliced onion (1/2 an onion), celery (2 stalks, including leaves), fresh parsley (handful), a clove or two of garlic, and a carrot to the pot with the fish. 4. Pour enough cold water into the stock pot to just cover the fish and vegetables by about an inch.  Add a few peppercorns to the pot.5. Simmer the fish and vegetable mixture over medium heat.  Some white foam will accumulate from the cooking fish protein, skim this off with a slotted spoon and discard it.  Skimming the foam will make a clearer final fish stock.6. Let the stock simmer for about half an hour up to an hour.  You will get a nice, delicate fish flavor with half an hour of cooking and a bit stronger fish flavor if you cook it for an hour.  Taste it along the way to determine how long to cook it.  When it is at the flavor you want, strain the stock from the solids through a cheesecloth into another pot. 7. Taste your finished fish stock and add any salt and pepper to taste.  Keep fish stock in the refrigerator and use within a few days or freeze for longer storage.