Boiling fish? I mean, boil it in liquid?

Linus has been sick for a week now. His stomach is upset. Very much. His answer to my nearly cynical question about what he wanted to eat for dinner, was: “Boiled fish”. I thought: “Ugh, boiled fish! How boring, what a shame to prepare fish like that.”

But after a bit of research on the internet, I found out that there is an obviously classic method to “poach fish” – I tried it and I am thrilled. One boils, or poaches, the fish in a kind of bouillon, a quick and simple broth.

As always, it is easy to prepare, interesting ingredients, tastes awesome and that is how it works:

Ingredients:

1 onion peeled and cut in pieces
1 – 2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1 cm  big pieces
1 stalk of celery, cut in 1 cm  big pieces
1 whole garlic bulb, cut through horizontally
3 twigs parsley
3 twigs thyme
1 bayleaf
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
125 ml white wine vinegar or 375 ml dry white wine
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 l water

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients with the water and bring to boil in a medium sized pot. Lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes without lid.

Strain and put aside. The broth keeps fresh for up to three days in a fridge or several months in the freezer.

Yesterday I used a filet from arctic char (the smaller one) and a filet of rainbow trout (the bigger and vibrant red one). Remove the skin.

Put the filets in a flat, buttered oven pan, so that the filets lay flat in the pan. Bring the broth to boil and then pour it carefully over the fish until the fish is covered. Turn on the heat under the pan for a short time (really not more than 2 minutes) and then turn it off again or down on minimum heat and let the fish steep for about 5 minutes. It depends on how thick the fish is, but in the end the flesh should be translucent and tender, about 50 degrees C in the thickest part.

Serve the fish with rice, potatoes or simply with a baguette, with it some salad and enjoy the mild taste!