Fish Aspic for Your Pet
Aspic ingredients prepped before cooking. Photo by Kimberly Coelho.
Aspic is a savory jelly derived from collagen-rich stock, and was once the height of culinary fashion in France.
Enthusiasm for the use of aspic in human recipes has waned, but you can bet that anything this protein-rich meal will appeal to canine and feline taste buds!
The elegance of your aspic dish might be lost on your canine or feline dinner guest, but you sure will have fun making this classic and creative dish.
Ingredients
4 lb fish heads (I prefer heads as there are few bones to contend with)
The finished aspic dish - it will take the form of whatever dish you use to cool it in. Photo by Kimberly Coelho.
How to Prepare
Remove gills from the fish heads and wash under cold water to clean and remove any blood.
Place fish heads in a large stockpot. Fill with just enough cold water to cover the contents. Cook over medium heat and bring to boil.
Skim off fat and foam using a slotted spoon, discard. Bring it to a boil. Lower heat, simmer for 1 hour, or until fish heads are almost falling apart.
Remove from heat. Remove the fish heads carefully. Once cooled, you can remove any meat from the head (fish cheeks), discard bones and skin, and reserve the meat in a container.
Strain broth.
Place reserved meat in the bottom of a bowl (or individual 4 oz containers). Gently pour the strained broth over the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
To remove aspic from bowl, dip bowl in hot water and invert on a plate. Use a slim spatula to separate from the bowl, if needed. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, then freeze for use at a later date. Can be frozen for up to six months.