French Cooking Academy

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SHALLOW POACHED FISH

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Learn how to shallow poach fish fillets and make a sauce using the cooking juices.

This dish uses a basic cooking method of shallow poaching fish fillets, then crafting a delicious sauce using the cooking juices. Add this technique to your cooking reportoire and use for any fish fillets including salmon.  

INGREDIENTS

  • Any fish fillet, 2 to 4 pieces of 200 grams (7 ozs) each

  • 1 shallot (finely diced)

  • 30 g (1.05 oz) butter cut in small cubes

  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley

  • 100 to 150 ml (3.5 to 5.27 fl oz) white vermouth (depending on how much fish you use)

  • 50 to 100 ml (1.7 to 3.5 fl oz) cream

  • Salt and pepper

PROCEDURE

  1. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and place them in a saute pan.  Sprinkle with chopped shallots, butter cubes and about half the parsley.

  2. Pour the vermouth into the pan and cover with either the lid or a parchment paper lid.

  3. Heat the pan to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook until the fish is cooked (the timing will depend on the thickness of the fillet).  Once cooked, baste the fillets with the wine stock and reserve them on a plate.  Add a little more stock and cover.

  4. Bring the remaining stock in the pan to a boil over high heat and reduce the stock for a minute or two to concentrate the flavours.

  5. When the stock is reduced to a tablespoon or a little more, add the cream and reduce further for about a minute.

  6. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the remaining parsely and turn the heat off.

  7. Return the fish and accumulated cooking juices back to the pan.

  8. Turn the heat onto low and return to a simmer to reduce the sauce further if required.

  9. Serve the fillets on a plate with the sauce ladled over.

I love this kind of fish101-video where you show a core technique which when learned can be expanded upon with many different flavours.

Alexander Bertelsen

Thanks once again Stephane for your recipes and techniques. I really look forward to your videos each week and I get to surprise my family with some of your marvellous ideas.

Graeme Pender

Merci Chef Stèphane, I have always been afraid to cook fish until now. Wonderful as always!

Rusty Shackleford