Salmon bones are far too useful to throw away. Whether you’ve just filleted a whole fish or have a pile of frames left from dinner, you can turn those bones into rich stock, nutrient-dense bone meal for your garden, or even an edible calcium source. Here’s how to make the most of them.
Make Salmon Bone Broth
The most popular use for salmon bones is simmering them into a flavorful broth. This works a bit differently than making chicken or beef stock. Fish bones release their gelatin and flavor quickly, so you only need 30 to 45 minutes of gentle simmering. Cooking longer than that doesn’t improve the result. It actually makes the broth taste muddy and overly fishy.
Start by rinsing the bones under cold water and removing any gills or blood spots, which can make the broth bitter. Place the bones in a pot with aromatic vegetables like onion, celery, a bay leaf, and a few peppercorns. Add just enough cold water to barely cover everything. Keeping the water level low concentrates the flavor and helps you extract more gelatin, which gives the broth a silky, rich body.
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface in the first few minutes. After about 40 minutes, strain everything through a fine mesh strainer. You’ll have a deeply savory broth that works beautifully in chowders, risottos, miso soup, ramen, and pan sauces for seafood. One important note: salmon produces a stronger, more distinctly “fishy” broth than mild white fish like halibut or cod. This is because salmon is an oily, dark-fleshed fish. That richness is an asset in bold dishes but can overwhelm delicate recipes. Plan your use accordingly.
Freeze Them for Later
If you’re not ready to make stock right away, freeze the bones. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or place them in a sealed freezer bag with as much air removed as possible. According to USDA guidelines, frozen raw fish keeps best when used within 3 to 8 months. Bones hold up well toward the longer end of that range since there’s less flesh to deteriorate, but the sooner you use them, the fresher your stock will taste. Label the bag with the date so you don’t lose track.
A useful habit: save bones in the freezer each time you cook salmon, accumulating them over several meals until you have enough for a big batch of stock. Two to three pounds of bones will yield a good pot.
Use Them as Garden Fertilizer
Salmon bones are packed with phosphorus and nitrogen, two nutrients plants need to thrive. Fish bone meal typically contains around 4% to 7% nitrogen and very high concentrations of phosphorus, roughly 100 grams per kilogram. Phosphorus supports root development, flowering, and energy storage in plants, making fish bone meal especially valuable for fruiting vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. The potassium content is lower, so you may want to supplement with another source like banana peel compost or wood ash for a more balanced soil amendment.
The simplest approach is to bury raw bones directly in your garden, at least 12 inches deep so animals don’t dig them up. They’ll break down slowly and feed the surrounding soil over months. For faster results, you can dry the bones in a low oven (around 200°F) until they’re completely brittle, then grind them in a blender or mortar and pestle into a coarse powder. This homemade bone meal can be sprinkled around plants or mixed into soil at planting time. Its slow-release properties mean it won’t burn roots the way synthetic fertilizers can.
If you compost, salmon bones can go into the pile, but they decompose slowly compared to vegetable scraps. Chop or crush them first and bury them in the center of a hot compost pile to speed things up and minimize odor. Mixing fish waste with carbon-rich materials like dried leaves or shredded cardboard helps balance the nitrogen and keeps the pile from smelling.
Eat the Bones for Calcium
Salmon bones are one of the richest natural sources of calcium available. Processed salmon bone flour contains calcium concentrations ranging from 13,500 to over 20,000 milligrams per 100 grams, far higher than dairy products. You don’t need industrial processing to take advantage of this. If you’ve ever eaten canned salmon, you’ve already eaten salmon bones. The canning process pressure-cooks the bones until they’re soft enough to mash with a fork and eat directly.
You can replicate this at home by pressure cooking salmon frames for 30 to 40 minutes until the bones are completely soft and crumbly. Once softened, mash them into salmon patties, spread them into dips, or blend them into soups. The texture disappears entirely when mixed into other ingredients. This is a practical option for anyone looking to increase calcium intake without supplements, particularly if you eat salmon regularly.
For smaller pin bones, the ones you pull out of fillets, you can collect and dry them, then grind them into a fine powder to stir into smoothies or sprinkle over food. The flavor is mild once dried.
Other Practical Uses
Salmon heads and collars, often discarded along with the bones, are prized in many cuisines. Japanese restaurants grill salmon collars (the section behind the gills) with salt as a standalone dish called kama. Korean and Southeast Asian soups often use the entire head for richness. If your “salmon bones” include the head and collar, consider roasting or grilling those cuts before using the remaining frame for stock.
Pet owners sometimes feed raw or lightly cooked salmon bones to dogs, but this requires caution. Cooked fish bones can splinter and cause internal injuries. If you want to share salmon scraps with a pet, pressure cooking until the bones are completely soft is the safest method. Raw bones from fresh (not previously frozen) salmon also carry a small risk of parasites, so freezing for at least seven days before feeding raw is a common precaution.