Serious Kitchen Play


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add plain water to determine the quantity of liquid you'll need to submerge the whole fish. Don't  
cook the fish past 140°F (60°C), measured in the center of the thickest part. The internal  
temperature keeps going up for several minutes after you remove the fish from the heat, giving  
you the margin of safety.  
Removing the fish from the hot poaching liquid is not the easiest task. You may use  
turkey lifting tools or large spatulas or you may wrap the fish in a single layer of cheesecloth  
before putting it into the liquid, so you can lift it out in one piece. Using heavy rubber gloves is  
another possibility—it protects your hands from the hot liquid for 15 or 20 seconds, long enough  
to quickly but gently lift the fish out.  
Seafood should never boil, although some cookbooks apply the term boiling for  
poaching. Even chowders and soups should not boil but gently simmer. The difference in  
temperature between a full boil and a gentle simmer is about 10 or 15 degrees. In a gentle  
simmer only a small number of bubbles come to the surface instead of a whole army, as in  
boiling.  
Whole poached salmon  
Here's a recipe made with whole salmon that will impress even your most jaded guest.  
Few fish preparations are as elegant or impressive as a full poached fish with head and tail on,  
adorned with tasteful garnishing and served cold. On a buffet table a whole fish is always a  
winner, overshadowing just about anything else. Few nonprofessional cooks are willing to  
undertake a whole poached fish; its preparation appears overwhelming. But all you need is a  
little experience and two basic pieces of equipment: a large shallow pot (if you don't own a fish  
poacher) and an accurate pocket thermometer that guarantees to remove the fish from the heat  
when it is cooked just to perfection and not a minute sooner or later.  
The special poaching liquid lends its flavor to the fish. After cooking you can freeze this  
liquid (if you have enough freezer space) and use it over and over again. I freeze mine in one or  
two large, heavy plastic bags. Each time you poach in this liquid, the flavor improves as it  
borrows a little from every fish you cook in it.  
I often use salmon in this recipe, but any fish full-flavored fatty fish lends itself to this  
technique. I wouldn't recommend one that is downright ugly, like eel or monkfish. Reserve these  
for a special Halloween feast. The taste is not compromised by their appearance.  
If a whole fish is too large or too intimidating for you, choose a large fillet instead. Its  
presentation is not quite as striking, but the delicious flavor is there, and serving a fillet is far  
easier than dealing with a whole fish. If you chose a fish that is too large for your poaching  
container, cut it in half crosswise and poach the two halves separately or side by side (if they fit  
the pan). Cool, then reassemble the fish on the serving platter after squaring the two cuts with a  
sharp knife and hide the demarcation line with garnish or a light glazing sauce. No one will know  
there are two pieces.  
For a light buffet or hors d'oeuvres, count on 6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225 g) for a whole  
dressed fish per serving, 2 to 3 ounces (55 to 85 g) if you poached fillets. Double the amount per  
serving if it is a main course.  
Ingredients  
1
whole dressed salmon  
play © erdosh 111  


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