Easy Poached Fish Recipe - in Tomato Basil Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is the best liquid to poach fish in? ›

Start with the right liquid.

Broth-based poaching is refreshing and relatively low-calorie, while oil- or butter-based poaching makes for unbelievably tender fillets. Other staples like coconut milk or wine make great poaching liquids, too.

In a wide saucepan, heat water with lemon juice, bay leaves, peppercorns, carrot, celery and onion. Simmer 15 minutes. Add frozen fish fillets. Continue to simmer gently, uncovered, until fish flakes—about 3 minutes for individual fillets, 15 minutes for fish frozen together in a block.

Place two fillets of skinless fish in the pan with simmering milk. Each piece should be about 1/3 of a pound (150g). The milk should come about halfway up the sides of the fish. Continue to simmer the milk after you've added the fish and let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes.

Poaching is a good technique for cooking lean fish like tilapia, cod, sole, haddock, snapper, or halibut as well as fatty fish like salmon or trout. It is a type of moist-heat cooking technique that involves cooking by submerging a food item in a liquid usually at a low temperature.

The trick to poaching fish is to cook it gently and over low heat. Don't bring your pot to a boil — it should be barely simmering. Fish is done when the internal temperature reaches 140℉.

Because of its high fat content, whole milk is better than water or wine at absorbing flavor. It readily draws in the essence of the herbs, garlic, or any other aromatics you might throw into it, taking on the qualities more quickly and intensely.

Insert the tines of a fork into the thickest portion of the fish at a 45-degree angle. Gently twist the fork and pull up some of the fish. If it flakes easily, without resistance, the fish is done and ready to eat.

Poaching requires a lower temperature than boiling (100°C) and simmering (95–98°C) and is therefore more suitable for cooking seafood. Boiling and simmering may cause the proteins to tighten, which results in toughening of the flesh. Boiling is also too rapid for seafood and may cause the flesh to break or fall apart.

If you want to cook fatty fish such as salmon fillets from frozen, choose recipes such as stews or curries where the fish is gently cooked in liquid. Poaching or gently baking would work well too.

Good Fish to Poach

Fish of all species is perfectly cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 140F, so keep the water at that temperature until the fish turns translucent. At this temperature, the fish will never overcook, even if you leave the fish in the liquid a little longer than necessary.

Do you rinse milk off fish before cooking? ›

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion. I smelled the fish before and after to see if there was a noticeable change—and to my actual surprise, there was.

Milk iS used to cover up / extract the “ fishy” taste/flavor from the fish…and to also adds a sweetish flavor…. and the cooking liquid can be reduced and made into a Béchamel sauce !

Science: Cut (the Heat) and Cover

The amount of steamy liquid, along with the cover, will hold enough heat to carry the fish across the finish line within a few minutes—and will do so more gently than active cooking could, so there's no virtually no risk of overdoing it.

However, both steaming and poaching are considered healthy, since their lower temperatures and lack of cooking fat help preserve the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in fish better than other cooking methods ( 45 ).

Court bouillon, which means “short broth” in French, is simply a flavorful liquid that is used to poach fish, seafood, chicken, and sometimes fruit. The liquid often contains water (however almost any liquid can be used) and usually an acid (such as wine, vinegar, or citrus).

The poaching liquid traditionally uses a stock, broth or court bouillon which can consist of an acid (wine, lemon juice) and aromatics, such as herbs and/or spices, (for example bouquet garni and mirepoix), although any flavorful liquid can be used in poaching.

Poaching in olive oil adds some of its flavor to whatever you're cooking, and makes it more tender and luscious than water ever could. Plus, the oil that's left over after poaching becomes its own special ingredient to use again and again.

While you might be hesitant to dunk your fish fillets in a pan of olive oil, this method is backed by science. Not only will the fish remain more moist than if it were cooked in water, but it will cook more gently. Check out our step-by-step guide below to learn how to do this in your kitchen.