So with those beautiful fish that my Dad caught, one might wonder what I kept of the bounty. Why, I kept the fish heads, of course!
Two heads (giant, I might add); Two soups.
The first one I made was from a favorite website that I love (but still haven’t completely explored): Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. The soup is of course Salmon Head Soup (Japanese-style with miso and somen.) A delicate ginger infused broth is mixed with a mild miso and poured over a bit of the salmon meat (including the really tasty cheeks) and cooked somen noodles. This soup is incredibly light and really highlights the salmon.
The photo above is of my second soup, made from the second head. I made a rich broth of the head with celery, onion, salt, and pepper. I probably would have added carrot if I had it and fresh dill if I felt like walking back up the hill to the greenhouse, where I saw some growing. I strained the broth (just like the directions for the japanese salmon head soup above) and discarded everything except for the salmon meat picked from the head and set aside. Then I used the broth to cook more chopped celery, onion, and lots of potato. I didn’t have any dairy products, but cooked that in the broth until everything was really soft, mashed it some to thicken the broth, added a bit more salt and pepper, and then poured it into a bowl with some of the set aside meat. It was fantastic. I might add a bit of the dill when I reheat it tomorrow to eat with the remaining salmon meat.
a middling life 