Fish stock Substitute

[Pimpette]

Hey everyone. I have a recipe for seafood gumbo and it calls for 7 cups of fish stock. I don't want to make my own and I've looked at Wal-mart (its our only grocery store) and I can't find it. So I was wondering what can I use to substitute it. Someone told me Veg stock (paste) and fish oil. But they went by taste for substitutions and couldn't give me amounts. Anyone know how much I would need?

Here's the recipe by the way.
Seafood Gumbo on Yahoo! Food

Thanks
~Pimpette

[ironchef]

I would recommend making a clam broth from clam juice to use as a substitute for fish stock rather than a vegetable stock + fish oil.

[Pimpette]

Can you be more specific as to what to do, please?

[Candocook]

I think Ironchef is suggesting you use clam juice or the broth from draining canned clams for your fish stock. It is available on the supermarket aisle.
There is a prepared bouillion series that is pretty good--Better than Bouillion--on the soup aisle. They have lobster and maybe clam. When using these types of products you need to be real careful about salt--don't add it anywhere else. I think you could use half this kind of broth and half unsalted chicken broth for your stock.
I don't know where you get "fish oil" and that sounds like something I would not particularly want to put in my food to cook with (even though it is food safe!!).

[Uncle Bob]

One can buy Clam juice in a small bottle in most grocery stores...IMO it would work as a subsitute for your fish stock...however 7 cups of it would give your gumbo a definate clam flavor...one that I (personally) would find strange in gumbo...
There is also a product called Clamato juice...Clam and tomato juice mixture....never used it in gumbo...but it does add a nice touch to Clamdiggers...

[Robo410]

for a light fish stock use equal parts bottled clam juice and veg broth. FOr a stronger stock taste use clam juice almost exclusively. You can add to the flavor by saving the shells from raw shrimp and boiling them in water for 15 min. then strain...you now have shrimp broth.

THe water from canned clams is not clam juice (and though it has some clam flavor it is pretty thin and sometimes metalic in taste)...clam juice is the squeezings from chowder clams after they take off the side meat for chowders, minced clams, fried clam strips etc.

[Shunka]

Knorr makes fish boullion and also shrimp if you can find it. Candocook, yes, Better than Boullion does make a clam base as I have some in my fridge right now. Around here they only sell beef, chicken and veggie base but I order mine online.

[Candocook]

[quote=Robo410]for a light fish stock use equal parts bottled clam juice and veg broth. FOr a stronger stock taste use clam juice almost exclusively. You can add to the flavor by saving the shells from raw shrimp and boiling them in water for 15 min. then strain...you now have shrimp broth.

I also like to brown the shells just a bit in the pan before adding the water to make the stock.

[PytnPlace]

I've used the asian fish sauce many times as a substitute for fish broth in my gumbo and jambalaya. I put about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon per cup of veggie broth or H2O depending on your tastes.

[Katie E]

This may not help you with your immediate need, but I save all the shells, in bags in the freezer, from the shrimp I use for other dishes. When I've accumulated quite a few, I put them in a pan with some chopped onion, a little celery (with leaves), a bit of chopped carrot and just a touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and cover with water. I simmer everything for, oh maybe, about 45 minutes. Then I strain it and have some pretty good shrimp stock to use when a recipe calls for a fish stock. If I don't use the stock right away, it gets frozen in 1-cup quantities.