Go Back

Miso Soup (fish stock)

Prep Time 40 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Makes 1 quart/liter

Ingredients

  • 1 liter (4 cups) filtered water
  • 4 grams 2" by 5" or 10 square inches kombu (dried kelp)
  • 5 grams about 1/2 cup, 125ml katsuoboshi (bonito flakes)
  • 3 Tbsp. (45 ml) red miso
  • 2 scallions
  • 20 grams enoki or other thin stemmed mushrooms (Optional)

Instructions
 

Soak Seaweed

  • Scrub kombu (seaweed sheet) lightly under cool water to remove debris (pollution or small sea creatures).
  • Add kombu to water in a pot and let soak for 15 minutes.

Prepare soup Vegetables

  • Cut scallions into 1/8" slices.
  • Trim dirt off enoki mushrooms then cut into 1" pieces.

Prepare Broth

  • Turn pot on medium-high heat. Right before the water starts to boil (bubbles start to break around the edge of the pot), remove kombu and scatter the katsuobushi over the surface of the water. Reserve kombu to make niban dashi (second broth) or compost.
  • Let broth return to boil, then turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes.
  • The flakes will have sunk to the bottom of the pot. Strain the stock through a tight mesh strainer. You now have dashi.
  • Ladle 1 cup dashi into a small bowl. Let cool slightly, then add miso paste and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the miso mixture back to the dashi and whisk to combine. Return to a slight simmer, being careful not to boil the mixture.
  • Add scallions and mushrooms and cook for another minute.
  • Remove from heat, ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.
Keyword miso, umami