Salmon Bones

[u/Asleep-Cake-6371]

I accidentally bought a whole bag of salmon bones at my local Asian Supermarket (🫣). I need some suggestions on how I can use them. I'm interested in making fish stock and would appreciate a simple recipe. Thanks!

[u/PlainOldWallace]

Curious... can you please elaborate on how this accident occurred?

I frequent Asian food stores, and would like to not make this mistake.

Thank you :)

[u/Asleep-Cake-6371 → u/PlainOldWallace]

I'm new to Asian cooking 😅. I had just returned from a movie and was looking for something cheap for dinner. In the seafood section, I saw a bag of what looked like chopped up salmon pieces at a very low price. The bag was not properly labeled.

I was able to chop up some of the meat for fried rice. I hate wasting food, so that's why I'm here!

[u/Bitter-Bee9306 → u/Asleep-Cake-6371]

Haha same thing happened to me on my first time! Bought a pack of pork spine bones, only to realize later it was meant for making soup broth.

[u/hashbrown3stacks → u/Asleep-Cake-6371]

So what's left is just straight salmon bones? If it's meat with a bunch of pin bones maybe you could pickle it? I've never tried it myself (been meaning to) but I believe the smaller bones dissolve in the brine.

If it's mostly bones, then yeah maybe find a recipe that calls for salmon stock

[u/PlainOldWallace → u/Asleep-Cake-6371]

That's unfortunate, and, could probably happen to anyone. Shit.

[u/Pernicious_Possum → u/[deleted]]

Well, you certainly found the absolute worst way to convey that sentiment

[u/xtothewhy → u/Pernicious_Possum]

that's apparent

[u/Bitter-Bee9306]

That's the one i normally cook:
2 lbs salmon bones

6 cups water

1 onion, 3 potatoes (cubed), 1 block silken tofu (cubed)

1 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, 1/2 cup fresh dill

2 tbsp butter, 1 cup heavy cream

Salt & white pepper (less spicy)

Broth: Simmer salmon bones, water, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns for 20 mins. Strain broth, pick all meat off the bones, and set meat aside. (You could use a boiling bag for the bones and keep an eye on the pot, as a lot of foam will rise when it comes to a boil.)

Base: Sauté onion in butter for 3 mins. Add strained broth, potatoes, and salt; simmer for 10 mins until tender.

Finish: Lower heat, stir in cream, tofu, and the picked bone meat. Simmer 3 mins. Stir in dill, season, and serve.

[u/saltyoperasinger → u/Bitter-Bee9306]

My mother in law used whole allspice too. This is our very favorite meal of hers. Nice plan for OP!

[u/Top-Bicycle-7363]

Put them in a crab trap. Then eat crabs.

[u/Adam_Weaver_]

Salmon bits be good in miso soup

[u/Virtual_Force_4398]

From memory, I've had them battered and deep fried, grilled with teriyaki and I've used them for broth and eaten with rice noodles and tofu.

[u/subeditrix]

I would make fish soup Singapore style. Traditionally a white oily fish is used but I’ve used salmon and it’s very very tasty.

https://nomadette.com/singapore-milky-sliced-fish-soup/

[u/biopuppet → u/subeditrix]

Wow! This looks really good

[u/subeditrix → u/biopuppet]

So healthy too and light. I find chowders and bouillabaisses too heavy and rich sometimes.

[u/Classic_Ad_7733]

Just combine the fish bones with vegetables like onions, carrots, beets and add some water and salt. Let it simmer for 2-4 hours and you've got yourself a basic fish broth;

[u/windexorange]

I recommend roasting/pan frying the bones until you get some color on them before simmering them until the bones start to crumble. My choice of fish soup using a stock like this would have tomatoes, celery, onion, carrots, and herbs, and I'd have it with rice and other side dishes. I'd make the stock separately vs putting everything in one pot to cook to make it easy to strain out the bones since I like to eat the vegetables in my soups. If you like what you end up making and want to make more fish stock in the future, using fish heads along with the bones helps make the stock even richer, and you can also buy them at the Asian grocery store.

[u/Iliveinatrashcann]

Making fish stock is as easy as putting the bones in a pot and then adding water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer.

[u/EfgBhagwan]

Salmon bones make killer stock - throw them in a pot with some aromatics and you've got liquid gold for soups and sauces. Way cheaper than buying stock and tastes infinitely better.

[u/Traaveler]

Roasted the bones until crispy then you can literally just crunch on them.

[u/Fine-Upstairs-6284]

I’d prob use it as a stock for Lohikeitto

[u/Alternative-Yam6780]

https://honest-food.net/fish-stock-recipe/

[u/Able_Bonus_9806]

I would make a very simple stock with just mirepoix and the bones. Maybe add a few knuckles of ginger if I’m feeling like I want a more Asian broth. Then if you want to use it to make other broth then you will have it available as a base.

If you’re looking to make broth I would look up a few simple seafood recipes or just use Asian spices to taste.

[u/starmoose42]

I highly recommend this salmon chowder recipe: https://honest-food.net/salmon-chowder-recipe/

[u/lolercoptercrash]

I bought bones the other week. They were soo good. So much fattier than salmon usually is.

I cooked them at high heat in a cast iron, and left them cooking for a while to really render the fat off. Then I just carefully ate them with my hands, and ate rice with my hands. Every bite you gotta carefully use your teeth to slide the meat off, it's work. But holy crap it tastes so good and it was cheap. I ate it like 3 meals in a row. I kept telling myself that if I was a billionaire I'd still eat this meal, even though it's a cheap meal. The salmon was so rich and savory it's almost too savory, it's incrdibe. I even think about the flavor for like a day after lol.

[u/PowerfulYou7786 → u/lolercoptercrash]

Edit: I thought this was my local sub and offered advice that makes no sense to 99% of people on r/Cooking. Whoops!

[u/blkhatwhtdog]

Dig a hole next to a rose bush.

I used salmon heads in the holes for tomatoes