Poaching Fish

Procedure

1. Select a sauté pan, fish poacher or other tightly coverable vessel sufficient in size and depth to hold your fish completely covered with water. It should have enough room so filets are not on top of each other or they won't poach evenly.
2. To find out how much liquid you need, put the fish in the pan and fill with cold water to the necessary depth. The liquid should be enough to cover but not much more. Remove the fish and measure the water. Note: if you're poaching filets they will curl some so you need a little extra depth. Fillets are very rarely poached skin-on, because those would curl up into rolls.
3. Select the ingredients for the poaching liquid you wish to use, adjusting the amount to the amount of water. Prepare them as needed and place all ingredients in the pan with the measured amount of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 1/2 hour or as noted in "Hints" below.
4. Strain the poaching liquid if desired and set aside until needed.
5. Prepare the rest of your meal and the sauce you will serve the fish with. The fish will poach quickly and should be served immediately.

6. When ready to go, bring the poaching liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
7. Lower the fish into the liquid and turn the heat to high. The moment you see the first bubbles of boiling turn off the heat and cover the pan tightly. Let it sit for about 4 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Remove fish and serve.

6. When ready to go, bring the poaching liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
7. lower the fish into the liquid and turn the heat up. As soon as you see the first bubbles of boiling turn the heat down to below a simmer and cover tightly. Check in a bit to make sure the liquid is barely moving with few or no bubbles reaching the surface. Poach for 10 minutes to 20 minutes depending on size of fish.

6. Strain the Court Bouillon and let it cool. Starting with cold Bouillon minimizes skin breakage.
7. When ready to go, lower the fish into the liquid, cover tightly and bring to a simmer over medium heat, checking now and then.
8. When the first bubbles break the surface, turn the heat down to below a simmer. Poach for 10 to 20 minutes depending on size of fish.

Hints

• Fish to be Served Cold   They should be allowed to cool in the cooking liquid for best flavor and texture.

• #1 Court Bouillon:   Cut Celery, Onion and Lemon into medium slices crosswise and put All Ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain before poaching the fish.
  Variations: many variations of the herbs and amounts exist. Some include carrot and herbs may include thyme and tarragon.

• #2 East Asia:   Put the Cilantro sprigs in whole. Peel Garlic and crush with the side of the knife. Slice Ginger and hit with the back of your knife or a kitchen mallet to crush slightly. cut Scallions into 1" lengths. Add Oil and Salt. Simmer liquid for only 5 to 10 minutes before adding fish.
  Variations: for a more Thai version use basil in place of some of the cilantro.

• #3 Court Bouillon with Vinegar:   some chefs recommend vinegar rather than wine when poaching shellfish, but vinegar court bouillon is also used for fish. Also, some use a mix of vinegar and white wine. You'll want to use a good quality white wine vinegar in most cases. Slice Onion and Carrot crosswise thin. Peel Garlic and crush with the flat side of a knife. Put All Ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil and simmer 1/2 hour. Strain the liquid before use.

• #4 Court Bouillon with Red Wine:   Cut Celery, Carrot and Onion into medium slices crosswise and put All Ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain before poaching the fish.

• #5 Court Bouillon "No-Fuss"   OK, I Confess. This is the one I use 90% of the time. Just bring to a boil and you're ready to go. After poaching, I place the fish on a deep plate, spoon over it a good amount of my Lemon Wine Sauce for Fish and disassemble the fish at the table with chopsticks (pointy ones are particularly good for small fish with bones). I hope this does not caused any French Chefs to loose sleep or break out in hives.

Tools

• Fish Poacher:   This pan is excellent for poaching whole fish of some size, especially since it comes with a rack with handles for lifting the fish out. Though it takes a lot less liquid than, say, an oval roasting pan would, it's still a lot so you really have to want to poach a large fish whole. On the other hand, I use the reversible lid of the model I have (shown above left) for a baking dish for fish and the whole pan and rack with just a half inch of water (or the basket inverted and lots of water if the fish isn't too thick) for steaming fish.