Make Your Own Walleye Fish Stock

Many people are familiar with making their own chicken or beef stock. The process has long been practiced by families across the world to make use of as much of the animal as possible. However, many people in the United States are not as familiar with making stock from their fish carcasses. Asian countries often use fish to make stock for their soups without a second thought.

That made me wonder, why don't we use our fish carcasses for stock? I was thinking this especially in regards to walleye since I often target and catch them. They have a very mild taste and have pretty solid bone structure. So, this fall, I decided to try making a fish stock with walleye to see how it would turn out. I must say, I was not disappointed!

First, you will need to catch some walleye! If you need ideas on that, listen to the podcast. Then you will need the following:

• 4-6 walleye carcasses (not guts, just the heads and spinal sections)
• 8-12 cups of water
• 1-3 stocks of celery sliced
• 1-2 carrots sliced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp of oregano
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 stick of butter
• 3 tbsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic diced

In a large pot, melt the stick of butter and mix in the garlic and onion. Cook them until the onion starts to become translucent and then add your sliced carrots and celery. Add salt, pepper and paprika and stir. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes and then add your water. Once you have the water added then you can add all of your spices and stir. Lastly, add the walleye. 

Let this simmer on low heat for 6-8 hours. You can also do this in a crock pot if that is easier. Once it is cooked to your satisfaction, let it cool enough to strain and store away for later use. I like to strain my broth with a screen and a strainer. I usually strain off the "big stuff" that is strained out and feed it to my chickens. Then I package the broth for use later. We use silicone muffin sheets to pour the walleye stock into and then we place it in the freezer for a day to freeze it into nice cup sized portions. Then we simply pop out the stock and put them into gallon sized Ziplock bags and store in the freezer. You can also pressure can the stock in jars if you make a lot of it at one time.

The next time you go out and catch a limit of walleye, take the time to try making some fish stock. I've used it to make fish chowder and it is amazingly good! I know the thought of boiling fish heads and bodies doesn't sound too appealing, but we all know most tasty things have a less than glories process to bring to fruition. So, cook up those walleye carcasses and enjoy amazing soup!