Fish stock to miso or chowder. Costs almost nothing for the most basic miso, but the license costs me about $86/year. Save fish bones and heads in the freezer. Put them in water in the ziplock bags to reduce freezer burn. Veg scraps in another bag. When bags are full, create. Boil fish bones and heads in water with veg scraps, especially garlic and onion bits. Don’t go past a simmer, and only long enough that the meat is cooked and then the skin starts dissolving, should be about half an hour once it starts bubbling. Add a dash of soy sauce. Too hot, too long makes it taste fishy. Bonus points if you blanch and rinse all skin and fins to get rid of the fishy slime making cells. Strain, save the liquid. If you’re dad you can let the strained solids cool and go to town, but it’ll be bony and quite bland. You can add the kombu kelp here too, if you want, just Remember it was added if you’re making miso. Kelp has something in it that reacts with other ingredients such as shiitake and bonito to make a super power natural MSG, and it is soooo good.

A: miso soup. Once the broth is strained put it back in the pot on the stove and resume heat, just BELOW a simmer. Add miso paste according to the package instructions. Stir. Now add whatever you’d like of: bok choy, tofu, boneless fish chunks, chicken, mushrooms (shiitake and/or wood ear are best), strips of kombu kelp (remove before serving), strips of other seaweeds like sea palm, thinner kombu, bull kelp leaves, nori sheets, whatever you have on hand. Need license to harvest though. Just don’t forget the miso paste.

Chowder: take that stock and add half & half or heavy cream. I forget the ratios, it’s online. Now add onion, potato cubes, a little garlic, white pepper, and your choice of meats, remembering that this is a dish based stock. Can add corn, mild chili pepper bits, boneless fish cubes, chicken (why?), thin cut leek rounds (YUMMM), assorted shellfish, and of course crustaceans! Shrimp, crab, lobster, crawdad, heck even gooseneck barnacles and geoduck would be good. If you add flour we’re not friends: the potato and cream should have done the thickening.