Perfectly poached fish is unbelievably tender and melts in your mouth. Using water that's lightly seasoned with white wine, lemon, onion, and garlic, this quick and easy technique turns out tender, flavorful fish in just 15 minutes.
Ingredients
½cupwhite wine
½mediumonion, sliced
2clovesgarlic, crushed
½lemon, sliced
½teaspoonsea salt
4filletsfish, of your choice (see notes)
Instructions
Put all the ingredients, except the fish, in a large skillet with high sides and add at least 2 inches of water. Heat the water over medium heat until it reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit, or until it is steaming, the water is moving around but not bubbling. You should be able to dip your finger into the water very briefly without burning it. (Be careful if you do this, though. We don't want you to hurt yourself!) Reduce the heat to medium-low.
½ cup white wine, ½ medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Once the water is at 140 degrees, slide the fish into the pot. The trick here is that you want the water to remain at a fairly constant 140 degrees so that the fish doesn't overcook.
4 fillets fish
The fish is ready once it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Without a thermometer, you can test for doneness by seeing if the flesh flakes easily from the fish. A salmon fillet will take approximately 10 minutes to poach. The poaching time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. Remember that as long as the water does not rise above 140 degrees, you will not overcook your fish.
Carefully remove the fish from the poaching liquid using a slotted spatula and serve it immediately.
Notes
Thicker, meatier fish such as salmon, trout, halibut and arctic char are best for poaching.