Hannah's Phở Week!! Part 2 - Fish Phở

Now that you've got your chili-garlic sauce fermenting (see Hannah's Phở Week!! Part 1), it's time to get some broth boiling and make that Phở! Below is a recipe for a fish Phở version. With any Phở, the broth is the most complicated and time-consuming part. But, while it does take time to prepare, Phở is easy to grab as a leftover, so it can actually save time in the long run. Personally, I like to make a pot or two of Phở broth on one big cooking day, and then have it and all the garnishes and sliced meat prepared so that I can whip up a yummy meal in just minutes throughout the week. A pot this large should serve 4 people who are large eaters easily, or at least 2 meals for 2 people. If it's just you, it should last almost the whole week!

Hannah's Fish Phở

Soup Ingredients:
4 Salmon fish heads
2 Pounds fresh or frozen salmon fillets, thinly sliced
1 Leek, cleaned and coursely chopped, including greens
1 Fennel bulb with stems and leaves, cleaned and tops coursely chopped, bulb thinly sliced
1 Medium yellow onion, washed and halved, one half whole, one half very thinly sliced.
1 Garlic clove, cleaned and whole
2 Inch piece of ginger, washed and coursely sliced
1 Inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 Package (2-4 oz) enoki mushrooms, washed and separated into separate threads
1/4 c. Finely chopped Chinese chives
1/4 c. Finely chopped scallions (white portions only)
1 Bunch lemongrass (about 3-4 large stalks), cleaned, outer tough leaves removed and coursely chopped; inner tender shoot finely sliced
1 t. Fennel seeds
1 Star anise
2 t. Coriander seeds
1 Small stick cinnamon
5 Whole cloves
5 Whole green cardamom pods (or 1-2 black cardamom)
1/2 c. Dried seaweed (smoked dulce or kelp is good)
5 Quarts filtered water
Salt to taste

Fresh Herb Garnishings:
Cilantro
Mint
Basil
Chives, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Onion, thinly sliced
Lime slices
Chili-garlic sauce

Part 1: Broth
In a 6-8 quart pot, place the fish heads. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Skim off the foamy skin. Add halved onion, chopped leeks, fennel tops and tough parts, garlic clove, coursely chopped ginger, tough parts of lemongrass, spices, and salt. Boil for 3-8 hours, until the broth is rich and fatty. Add more water as needed to compensate for evaporative loss. When finished boiling, cool the broth. Strain and return to the pot.

Part 2: Soup
Add the finely chopped lemongrass, ginger, fennel bulb, scallions and chives. Add enoki mushrooms and dried seaweed. Boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the thinly sliced fish pieces in large soup bowls. Then pour the boiling soup over the meat. The soup will cook the meat.

Part 3: Garnish
Place the garnishings on the table on a plate or in separate rice bowls. Serve the Phở and garnish individually as desired with the fresh herbs and hot sauce. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until fully satisfied!