SOUPS: To continue with home-made soup stock, court bouillon and variations are excellent stocks for making fish & seafood soups.

COURT BOUILLON:

4 cups water                                                   

1 ¼ cups white wine

1 onion, thinly sliced                                      

2 shallots, chopped

bouquet garni, tied in several layers of cheesecloth:

    6 white peppercorns                                               

    1 piece of dry mace

    1 tbsp. celery seeds

    1 tsp salt    

Place all ingredients in to a saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Strain and cool.

COURT BOUILLON AS FISH STOCK: 

2 lbs of fish head and bones                           

basic Court Bouillon ingredients

Proceed as for above recipe, adding fish head and bones into basic stock ingredients. Cook for 1 hour. Strain on cheesecloth.

AN ALTERNATIVE FISH STOCK:

2 ½ lb. fish bones head and tails                                 

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped                                               

2 carrots, chopped

½ cup button mushrooms, sliced                                

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

10-12 cups cold water

Place the fish bones, heads and tails in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into another pan. Add vegetables and thyme and bring back to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes and strain once more.