The Boiling of Fish in Salted Water

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 6 qt (5.7 L) oval pot, covered roasting pan, or fish-kettle
• •Rack, perforated insert, or folding steamer insert that fits the poaching vessel
• •Two broad fish spatulas or one large fish server
• •3 qt (2.8 L) saucepan for the potatoes
• •1 qt (950 ml) saucepan and small whisk for the beurre monté
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the fish

   Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, and remove the gills from a whole fish, then trim away any sharp fins at home. Rinse the cavity under a thin stream of cold water, wipe away every trace of blood near the backbone, and pat the fish dry. If using steaks, keep them at least 1¼ in (3 cm) thick; thin slices overcook before you can settle the liquid.

   Choose a fish that fits the vessel without bending. Curving a whole fish into a short pot puts strain on the cooked flesh, and it will split when lifted.
2. 2

   Boil the potatoes

   Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and add the measured salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until a knife enters the centres without resistance, about 18 to 22 minutes. Drain well, return them to the dry pan off the heat, and cover loosely so their surfaces become floury rather than wet.

3. 3

   Choose the liquid

   For white fish, measure enough cold water to cover the fish and add exactly ¼ oz (7 g) salt for every qt (950 ml) used. For turbot or brill, add whole milk equal to one-eighth of the water volume, which preserves the book's whitening treatment. For salmon or trout, replace both the water and its added salt with Court-bouillon with Vinegar (No. 163); it is a finished preparation here, so use it as it comes rather than rebuilding it in this pot.

4. 4

   Poach a whole fish

   Set the whole fish on the insert or rack in the wide vessel and pour in the chosen liquid cold, covering the fish by no more than 1 in (2.5 cm). Cover and warm it slowly over medium heat. At the first decisive boil, uncover, skim the pale froth, and move the vessel immediately to an unlit burner. Hold the liquid between 175 and 185°F (80 and 85°C), calm except for an occasional movement at the edge, until the thickest flesh reaches 145°F (63°C), usually another 8 to 15 minutes. If the liquid breaks into a rolling boil, pull the vessel off the heat and add ½ cup (120 ml) cold water around the fish. Ça se rattrape: the split flesh won't knit itself together, but the gentler finish will stop further damage.

5. 5

   Poach thick steaks

   For steaks or thick slices, bring the chosen liquid to a proper boil before the fish enters. Lower the pieces in one layer, then move the vessel off the heat as soon as the last piece is submerged; do not wait for the liquid to boil again. Hold it between 175 and 185°F (80 and 85°C), returning it to the lowest heat only if necessary, until the centres reach 145°F (63°C), about 7 to 12 minutes according to thickness. This hot beginning sets the cut surfaces and keeps more of the fish's juices inside.

6. 6

   Drain without breaking

   Lift a whole fish on its insert, or raise steaks with a broad slotted spatula, and let them drain over the vessel for 2 minutes. The flesh should separate in moist flakes under gentle pressure but still hold its shape. Transfer it to a warmed oval platter using two broad spatulas. If a piece breaks, fit it back into place and leave it alone. Never apologize at your own table.

7. 7

   Mount the butter

   Bring 3 tbsp (45 ml) of the poaching liquid to a full boil in a small saucepan and reduce it to about 2 tbsp (30 ml). Lower the heat completely. Beurre monté, butter held in a warm water emulsion, begins by whisking in the cold butter one cube at a time until the sauce is ivory, glossy, and thick enough to cling softly to a spoon. Never let it boil. If it separates into yellow fat and watery droplets, put 1 tsp (5 ml) cold water in a clean pan and whisk the broken sauce into it gradually. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Bring it to table

   Arrange the floury potatoes beside the fish and tuck generous parsley sprigs along the platter. Pour the beurre monté into a warm sauceboat and send it separately, as the classical service intends, so each person sauces their own portion. The fish needs no disguise, only careful cooking and enough butter. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Technique first. A modest, very fresh hake cooked quietly will give more pleasure than an expensive fish battered by boiling water. Look for bright eyes, red gills, firm flesh, and a clean sea smell.
• •Weigh the poaching salt. The book's proportion is exact: ¼ oz (7 g) for every qt (950 ml) water. Salt brands occupy different amounts in a spoon, while the scale tells the truth.
• •Salmon and trout are the branch that changes the liquid, not the method. Reach for Court-bouillon with Vinegar (No. 163), then follow the same cold start for a whole fish or hot start for thick slices.
• •Milk belongs only with turbot or brill here, one part milk to eight parts water. Its purpose is a whiter surface, not added richness, and pouring it into every fish kettle would miss the point.
• •Pour a dry, mineral white wine. Muscadet suits sea bass or hake, while a restrained white Burgundy has enough breadth for turbot and the butter sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish can be cleaned and trimmed up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it covered on a rack in the cold, then take it out while you prepare the potatoes and poaching vessel.
• •If cooking salmon or trout, have the finished Court-bouillon with Vinegar (No. 163) cold and ready before beginning. The referenced preparation remains separate, exactly as the canon intends.
• •The potatoes may be peeled up to 4 hours ahead and held in cold water. The beurre monté must be made near serving time, though it will hold for about 20 minutes beside the stove if kept warm and never allowed to boil.
• •Leftover fish should be chilled within 2 hours and eaten within 1 day. Serve it cold with a proper vinaigrette rather than reheating it into dryness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)