Fish Bone Stock : Ara Dashi
Ara dashi (あら出汁), “ara” means the head, bones, and fins of a fish, is often made by home cooks whenever they have the leftover pieces of a whole fish and used by them as the dashi base for soups, sauces, and simmered dishes. The ara of Red Sea Bream are the fish pieces of choice because of the fish’s mild flavor, lean, nearly fat-free meat, and type of umami that does not easily dissipate when cooked.
Sea salt is the only seasoning used in the stock. Other foods and seasonings aren’t added as they are in Western and Chinese stocks. Dashi is intended to be an essence of flavor. One that is sublimely satisfying enough to be enjoyed by itself as a delicate clear soup or used as a hidden layer of umami that enhances the flavors of all kinds of other dishes. Save your additions of flavor for those. However, a touch of sake, which in its way is also a type of dashi, is added to the stock to help extract the flavor of the fish given that the stock shouldn’t be cooked for too long a period of time. Sake also helps to eliminate any fishy odor and to stabilize the stock so that it can be used for about three days.
Ara dashi made with Stonefish (Okoze / オコゼ), another mild-tasting, fat-free, firm-fleshed fish that lives in the Seto Inland Sea, is considered nearly as good as that made from sea bream. But any kind of lean, mild-tasting, white-fleshed fish can be used.
Fish Bone Stock
Ara Dashi : あら出汁
Makes about 3 1/2 cups (800 ml)
Main Foods
Fish Head, Bones, and Fins, 1 1/2 lbs. (640 g)
Seasonings
Konbu (Dried Kelp), 4 x 4” piece (10 x 10 cm)
Sake, 2 tablespoons
Moshio Seaweed Salt or Sea Salt, 2 teaspoons, plus more for seasoning as desired
Directions
Put 3 1/2 cups (800 ml) of water in a pot large enough to make the stock, add the konbu, and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Split the fish head in half if it isn’t already and clean the head, bones, and fins by salting and scalding them. Put the pieces in a large bowl and rub 2 teaspoons of sea salt all over them, using it to scour the fish of any stray bits of impurities. Let the pieces rest for 15-20 minutes. Bring a pot of water to just under a boil, a temperature of about 195F (90C). Pour it over the fish and stir the pieces with a large spoon so that they are all soaked with the hot water, but don’t leave the fish pieces in the hot water for more than a minute. Drain in a colander and rinse well under cold water.
Add the fish pieces and sake to the pot with the konbu. Over medium-low heat, slowly bring the stock to a gentle simmer. After 15 minutes take the konbu out, saving it for another use or discard it. Skim the stock and continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Do not overcook the fish as it will degrade its umami. A total of 25 minutes is enough.
Season the stock with more salt to taste and strain through a sieve, saving the fish pieces to serve with the stock as a clear soup or for another use. The stock will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. In the freezer it will keep for about a month.
Use
Use as you would in any dish that calls for dashi stock, such as soups, simmered dishes, stir-fries, and sauces, keeping in mind that it’s a fresh dashi stock and the dish should be consumed within a few days.
You can also serve ara dashi as a clear soup, adding the fish pieces to bowls of the stock. There should be plenty of meat on them. Top with a slice of lemon and also put out more lemon wedges and sea salt as condiments. Use these liberally to enhance the subtle richness of the soup.
If you don’t use the fish pieces this way, be sure to pick off the flesh from the bones and save the meat for another use, including in soups, salads, vegetable, rice, and noodle dishes.