If you can boil water, you can poach a fish fillet. It's that
easy. One mistake you should guard against is overcooking the
fillet. Even though poaching is a moist way to cook fish, it
is important to halt the process as soon as the fish is fully
cooked. Most fish cooked longer then 30 min usually turns out
dry, with a strong, unpleasant odor.
An aromatic poaching liquid greatly enhances the flavor, helps
keep cooking odors pleasant and totally eliminates the need
for adding calorie-laden oil or butter. A flavorful poaching
stock can easily be brewed by boiling water for a short time
with a variety of herbs and spices and sliced lemon, lime or
orange.
Whole fish like trout or flounder can be succesfully poached
in a roasting pan on top of the stove. But smaller, more delicate
portions of fish fillet is more practical for family meals.
Tail-end fillets of salmon are boneles, poach quickly and are
readily available. But you'll find most varieties of fish -
flounder, sole, trout, halibut, cod, red snapper, rock fish
- are also superb when prepared using the poaching method.
Here is a a fail-safe technique for poaching fish fillets using
herbs, spices and citrus:
