Now that it's spring, I like to shake my family’s diet out of winter hibernation and start eating a little lighter. The snowy winter days are behind us (in Nova Scotia at least), it is now time to move on from the belly warming stews and braised meats. Now fishing boats are able to get through the packed ice, and more varieties of seafood are starting to arrive in the Sobeys seafood department! Not only do I love eating seafood, but I really enjoy cooking seafood, and one of the easiest methods for cooking moist, flavourful and light seafood is poaching.

Please keep in mind that poaching is not boiling! The liquid should be at a very low simmer, just high enough for bubbles to barely break through the surface. The ideal temperature for your poaching liquid is between 160°F and 180°F (75°C and 80°C), this helps to make sure you don’t overcook the fish or dry it out.

Poaching adds a delicate flavour, but some may call it just plain bland. Poaching was developed as a French technique for gently cooking seafood and poultry to protect them from direct high heat, keeping their flavours relatively neutral, allowing the sauces to be showcased.

Most often I’ll reduce all or some of the cooking liquid down to a fairly concentrated liquid which is perfect for the base of a sauce to serve with the fish. I find the rich taste of a hollandaise or butter based sauce works really well with the light flavours of poached fish. A slightly acidic sauce can also be nice; vinaigrette, for example, packs tons of bright balanced flavours that really bring the mild and light nature of the fish to life.

There are two methods for poaching:

Shallow Poaching combines the best of both poaching and steaming. A nice piece of fish is gently set on aromatic vegetables, herbs, and/or spices in a pan. Next, add enough cooking liquid to come halfway up the side of your fish. You could use water, but I like to maximize the flavour potential with vegetable or fish stock, fruit or vegetable juices, wine and even beer. Everything is then brought to a very gentle simmer, not a boil; we are looking for tiny bubbles here. A piece of parchment paper is used to cover the fish and a tight fitting lid is placed over the pan, this helps to create the steam, part of the tag team poaching and steaming cooking duo that is shallow poaching. At this point, the cooking can be finished on the stove top or in a very slow oven. Once the fish is cooked, it is removed from the pan and the cooking liquid, that has now been infused with flavours from the aromatics and the seafood is then reduced and used to create a very flavourful sauce to be served with the finished dish.

Submersion Poaching is a slightly different kettle of fish that is better suited for poaching larger pieces of seafood and whole fish or shellfish. Here the seafood is completely submerged in a liquid, usually fish stock or vegetable stock with added aromatics and simmered until done. The poached seafood is then served hot or cold with a sauce that is usually made separately.

Generally lean white fish such as halibut and bass are best for poaching. Fattier fish like salmon and trout are usually poached whole since they tend to fall apart very easily when poached. However, I often poach nice portions of salmon with great success. Leaving the skin on the fish helps to hold the flesh together, making it easier to carefully lift out of the pan once it has finished cooking, and the skin is easily removed before being served.

Poaching shellfish has become ritualistic for me. I cooked thousands of lobsters and hundreds of ponds of shrimp during my apprenticeship, and definitely prefer the poaching method to boiling or steaming. Simmering the shellfish in a perfectly prepared court boullion allows the flavours to penetrate the shells and add that little bit of extra flavour that makes a superior shrimp cocktail and delicious lobster.

Don’t be scared off by French culinary terms, a court boullion is a flavoured liquid perfect for poaching quick cooking foods, and it is simple to prepare. The culinary trinity (onion, carrot and celery) are thinly sliced and gently simmered in a pot with a head of garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, lemon and wine until they have given up all of their flavours. The broth is strained and reserved for poaching seafood, et voila; you have made a court boullion.

Try Chef Ryan's poaching recipes!

Try out my recipes for Green Tea and Ginger Poached Halibut with a Blood Orange Butter Sauce and Shrimp Cocktail. Poaching the halibut in an intense green tea broth added good flavour and great aroma to the halibut! While the blood orange adds enough sweetness and acidity to the rich sauce, balancing out the butter nicely. The two play well together on the plate. The shrimp, on the other hand, are deliciously simple. You’ll never want shrimp cooked any other way again.

Have fun with these recipes and feel free to adjust them to suit your tastes, but don’t forget the technique! Poaching is a beautifully simplistic, quick and tasty way to prepare all fish and shellfish.

Happy cooking,
Chef Ryan Skelton