Alright, when I am in the mood, I enjoy the taste of fish, but I have never (ever) really enjoyed the smell of seafood in general. So even though I know there are plenty of good things for us in bone broth made from fish...I have been sort of dreading this first endeavor at making it. I was terrified it would make my whole house smell gross. But we knew we had to get it over with, so we took another plunge.
First, let me just say that I found Jeff's fish-buying experience hilarious. He went to the World Market in Decatur because we knew they had a great selection of very fresh seafood. They also have all kinds of weird things you might not find at other grocery stores in just about every department of the store. So we figured, this was the place to go in order to find whole fish. Well we were right, but Jeff said the guy kept trying to make sure that he was actually looking for an entire fish with the head and all, like he just could not believe that was what Jeff was after. But finally, after about 20 minutes of looking for a fish that had not yet been cut up, he returned to Jeff with a humongous cod, and then managed to find him some red snappers that were in the same condition (and then the sardines for my "fun" fermented fish fiasco/fiesta...we will decide which f completes the alliteration later).
The laughs just keep on rolling in over this fish situation, as my 4 year old niece walked in on Jeff fileting the fish. "Uncle Jeff, what are you doing to that fish?" When he explained that he was cutting it up so he could eat it, she looked horrified, and asked, "But why isn't it in the ocean?" He again explained that it was so he could eat it and she said, "But it has EYES!" Poor girl has just learned that sometimes we eat things that have (rather, used to have) eyes. The fish will no longer have eyes when we eat it, though. That is a little too much for me to handle.
Anyway, so today Jeff fileted the fish and we threw it in the stock pot with ridiculous amounts of garlic (to help cover the smell), as well as some onion, peppercorns, a little Apple Cider Vinegar (again, for the fish taste), and some Celtic salt. What can I say? I am a bit of a baby when it comes to fishy smell. Or so I thought...
I was getting some things done in another room, when I came out into the living room and smelled the stock right away (from three rooms away). But it was not that bad! It actually smelled kind of buttery (like the time we sauteed some sea bass in butter, lime, lemon, and garlic). No butter here, but plenty of buttery fish smell. And then, when we took the pot off of the heat, we had some errands to run. A couple of hours later we came back, and the fish smell was already gone!
I am actually looking forward to eating the fish soup. I had to strain some kefir (for the upcoming fermented fish I will need kefir whey), so I thought the thicker kefir left behind would make a great "sauce" for the fish. I added copious amounts of dill and garlic and that is sitting in the fridge as we speak, awaiting lunch time tomorrow (I cannot do fish for breakfast yet. I know Jesus could, but I am just not there yet).
So we survived the experience of making fish stock, and I think that I will even be able to do it again with the red snappers later. One more "new GAPS experience" off of my list!
First, let me just say that I found Jeff's fish-buying experience hilarious. He went to the World Market in Decatur because we knew they had a great selection of very fresh seafood. They also have all kinds of weird things you might not find at other grocery stores in just about every department of the store. So we figured, this was the place to go in order to find whole fish. Well we were right, but Jeff said the guy kept trying to make sure that he was actually looking for an entire fish with the head and all, like he just could not believe that was what Jeff was after. But finally, after about 20 minutes of looking for a fish that had not yet been cut up, he returned to Jeff with a humongous cod, and then managed to find him some red snappers that were in the same condition (and then the sardines for my "fun" fermented fish fiasco/fiesta...we will decide which f completes the alliteration later).
The laughs just keep on rolling in over this fish situation, as my 4 year old niece walked in on Jeff fileting the fish. "Uncle Jeff, what are you doing to that fish?" When he explained that he was cutting it up so he could eat it, she looked horrified, and asked, "But why isn't it in the ocean?" He again explained that it was so he could eat it and she said, "But it has EYES!" Poor girl has just learned that sometimes we eat things that have (rather, used to have) eyes. The fish will no longer have eyes when we eat it, though. That is a little too much for me to handle.
Anyway, so today Jeff fileted the fish and we threw it in the stock pot with ridiculous amounts of garlic (to help cover the smell), as well as some onion, peppercorns, a little Apple Cider Vinegar (again, for the fish taste), and some Celtic salt. What can I say? I am a bit of a baby when it comes to fishy smell. Or so I thought...
I was getting some things done in another room, when I came out into the living room and smelled the stock right away (from three rooms away). But it was not that bad! It actually smelled kind of buttery (like the time we sauteed some sea bass in butter, lime, lemon, and garlic). No butter here, but plenty of buttery fish smell. And then, when we took the pot off of the heat, we had some errands to run. A couple of hours later we came back, and the fish smell was already gone!
I am actually looking forward to eating the fish soup. I had to strain some kefir (for the upcoming fermented fish I will need kefir whey), so I thought the thicker kefir left behind would make a great "sauce" for the fish. I added copious amounts of dill and garlic and that is sitting in the fridge as we speak, awaiting lunch time tomorrow (I cannot do fish for breakfast yet. I know Jesus could, but I am just not there yet).
So we survived the experience of making fish stock, and I think that I will even be able to do it again with the red snappers later. One more "new GAPS experience" off of my list!
Hi Joyful Melody,
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about your fish stock cooking experience! It is incredible how things sometimes never become what you expect it to become. Did your mom tell you about her aquaculture experiment?? That should be exciting to follow. Miss you!
God Bless,
Emily
Thanks, Emily! Yeah, I was (pleasantly) surprised by the whole thing. I did hear about Mom's experiment. Jeff and I did that with one of his fish tanks not too long ago. It was fun! Miss you, too!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Melody :)