Empty container — fish basket (5)
I believe the answer is:
creel
'basket' is the definition.
(creel is a kind of basket)
'empty container fish' is the wordplay.
'empty' means to remove the middle letters.
'fish' becomes 'eel' (eel is a kind of fish**).
'container' with its centre taken out is 'cr'.
'cr'+'eel'='CREEL'
(Other definitions for creel that I've seen before include "Wicker basket for fish" , "Wickerwork basket" , "Fish-basket" , "lobster basket" , "Lobster pot" .)