Seafood/Fish Broth
Seafood and fish broth is a savory liquid simmered from fish bones, shellfish shells, or both, forming the backbone of seafood soups, stews, and rice dishes around the world.
How to buy
Boxed and canned versions vary widely in quality -- check for real fish or shellfish content rather than mostly salt. Labels marked 'fumet' usually signal a more refined, French-style version. Homemade broth from fish heads, bones, and shrimp shells gives the best flavor.
How to store
Unopened broth is shelf-stable per the label. Once opened, refrigerate and use within 2 to 3 days, since fish broth spoils faster than meat-based broths, or freeze in portions for a few months.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- A briny, savory, oceanic flavor. Good versions taste clean and sweet rather than overly fishy, which is a sign of freshness.
- Texture
- A thin, pourable liquid; well-made versions carry a silky richness from collagen in the bones or shells.
- Aroma
- An oceanic, briny aroma; an overly strong 'fishy' smell signals the broth has gone stale.
How to prepare
- Simmered as soup base — Used as the primary liquid for seafood soups and stews.
- Used to cook rice — Swapped in for water when cooking risotto or paella for deep seafood flavor.
- Reduced into sauce — Simmered down to concentrate flavor for a seafood pan sauce or bisque.
- Used for poaching fish — Gently simmered to poach fillets without overpowering their delicate flavor.
Classic dishes
American
- Seafood chowder — A creamy soup built on a base of fish or clam broth and potatoes.
Italian
- Cioppino — A San Francisco-born seafood stew simmered in a tomato-fish broth base.
- Seafood risotto — Rice slowly cooked with ladled seafood broth until creamy and briny.
Mexican
- Caldo de pescado — A light, brothy Mexican fish soup often finished with lime and herbs.
Chinese
- Seafood congee — Rice porridge simmered in seafood broth until creamy and savory.
Indian
- Fish head curry — A spiced curry built on a rich broth simmered from fish heads and bones.
French
- Bouillabaisse — A Provençal seafood stew built on a rich, saffron-scented fish broth.
- Lobster bisque — A silky, concentrated soup built on a rich shellfish broth.
Thai
- Tom yum goong — A hot and sour shrimp soup built on a fragrant shrimp-infused broth.
Mediterranean
- Cataplana fisherman's stew — A seafood stew cooked in a sealed copper pan over a flavorful fish broth.
Korean
- Korean seafood jjigae — A spicy stew simmered in a broth deepened with seafood and shellfish.
Vietnamese
- Seafood pho — A fragrant noodle soup built on a seafood-infused broth.
Spanish
- Paella de marisco — Saffron rice cooked with seafood broth and an array of shellfish.
- Zarzuela de marisco — A Catalan mixed seafood stew simmered in a rich fish and shellfish broth.
Cajun & Creole
- Seafood gumbo — A roux-thickened stew built on a rich seafood broth with shrimp and crab.
Substitutions
- Vegetable Broth — Vegetable broth with a splash of soy sauce or a piece of kombu can stand in when seafood broth isn't available, though it won't carry the same briny depth.