The Best & Easiest Fool Proof Way To Cook Fish

By : James McConnell | 0 Comments | On : July 5, 2016 | Category : Eating Healthily, Randoms, The Rules of Cooking

As the title suggests this is “The Best & Easiest Fool Proof Way To Cook Fish” (in my humble opinion ???? ).

Yes you can grill it, deep or shallow fry it, BBQ, bake it or simply steam it but non of these methods are as effective as poaching. The reason being, it’s real easy to over cook and burn with all but steaming. Now unless you get cute with your steamer you only get steamed flavour…

So poaching your fish is super easy in both getting extra flavour in and its simply not possible to burn! Poaching is a very forgiving method to cook fish, yes, you could over cook it but even so its still not the worst result if slightly over done. For me this method takes all the risk away, especially if you’re new to cooking.

The secret to poaching (aside from the liquor) is to keep the liquid just below boiling point, i.e. 95° in a steady simmer. You DO NOT want to boil vigorously or the fish may break up and over cook!

So, the questions you’re asking are probably one or all of these:

1. How do you poach fish?
2. How long do you poach/cook it for?
3. What pan should I use / Do I need special equipment?
4. What liquid do I poach my fish in?

Well the good news is that poaching is super easy so don’t worry. And I can answer all of these for you right now! If you have any other questions just leave me a comment!

1. In a poaching liquor –
2. Obviously depends on the size but generally speaking for White or smoked fish fillets and fish steaks weighing 6-7 oz (175-200g) will take 6-8 minutes, depending on their thickness. Whole trout weighing 10-12 oz (275-350 g) each will take 8-10 minutes – less for small fish. N.B. these are only guidelines – You may need to give or take a minute here or there…
3. Yes there are “specialist” poaching fish shaped pans but in my opinion you don’t need to go to this expense. Just use a good sized pan and use enough liquid to just cover the fish and make sure the pan has a well-fitting lid.
4. Again this depends on what type of fish we are dealing, however you could use half milk half water for any white fish. (You can then reserve the stock/liquor to make an accompanying sauce). A glass of White wine or cider goes well also. But here is my standard poaching recipe that I use with salmon fillets.

N.B. On the flavourings of your stock you can experiment like in most dishes but if you start with wine & lemon for an acidic touch, the peppercorn and bay leaf give the “aromatic” side, where the herbs give the flavour to your taste and obviously the fish

Click these links for a great easy poaching liquor or “court bouillon” to be chefy

#poachingfish #howtocookfish #poachingliquor #courtbouillon

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