Poaching and Steaming
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1
Chapter 4 · Poaching and Steaming
Skill goal
Cook fish gently in liquid or steam so it stays tender and moist.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Poaching means cooking food gently in liquid that is hot but never boiling, about 80 to 85°C, when the surface barely shivers and tiny bubbles rise. Boiling would toughen the fish and break it up. Poaching is gentle, needs no fat and keeps fish tender. The liquid adds flavour, and the cooking liquid becomes a sauce, so use milk for smoked fish and a seasoned water called a court bouillon (water with lemon, bay and peppercorns) for salmon. No wine is needed.
Steaming is similar: the fish sits on a plate above simmering water and cooks in the moist heat. It suits thin, delicate fillets, which a Chinese-style dressing of ginger and spring onion lifts. Both methods leave fish pale and moist rather than browned. A white sauce made with the poaching milk is in Cooking Skills: Sauces 1, chapter 2; poached eggs for the haddock are in Cooking Skills: Eggs 1, chapter 5.
The method
- Choose a pan that fits the fish snugly, so you use less liquid and the fish stays covered.
- Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, slide the fish in, cover, and turn the heat down so it barely moves.
- Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness, until opaque and flaking.
- Lift out with a slotted fish slice, and keep the liquid for a sauce.
- For steaming, set a heatproof plate on a rack above boiling water, cover tightly and keep the water at a steady simmer.
| Method | Liquid | Temperature | Time (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poached smoked haddock | Milk | Just below a simmer | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Poached salmon | Court bouillon | Barely a shiver | 8 to 10 minutes, then cool in liquid |
| Steamed fish | Steam | Steady simmer below | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Kedgeree | Water and spice, then rice | Simmer | 30 minutes in all |
Hot liquid, steam and smoked fish
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Steam: steam burns faster than boiling water. Lift the lid away from your face, use oven gloves, and take the plate out with a cloth or a tongs-style plate lifter.
Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Smoked haddock poached in milk
Undyed smoked haddock poached in milk is a gentle, classic breakfast or supper. Serve it with mash (Cooking Skills: Potatoes 1, chapter 2) and a poached egg on top. Strain the milk and use it to make parsley sauce.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 undyed smoked haddock fillets (about 150 g each)
- 300 ml whole milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 black peppercorns
- 2 eggs, poached (optional)
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Put the milk, bay leaf and peppercorns in a pan just big enough for the fish and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Slide the haddock in, skin side down, cover, and cook on the lowest heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish flakes.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon, remove the skin, and serve with a poached egg and parsley. Keep the milk for a sauce.
Hot milk, smoked fish and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Allergens: contains fish, milk and egg.
Level 2 · Cold
Poached salmon with a dill yogurt sauce
Salmon poached in a flavoured liquid is moist, even and serves hot or cold. Letting it cool in the liquid keeps it tender. Serve with a cool dill yogurt sauce, new potatoes and cucumber.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 4 salmon fillets (about 150 g each)
- 750 ml water
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- 150 g natural yogurt
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Bring the water, lemon, bay, peppercorns and salt to a simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the yogurt, dill and lemon juice for the sauce.
- Lower the salmon in, make sure it is just covered, and keep the liquid barely moving for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish just flakes.
- Lift out with a fish slice. Serve warm, or leave to cool in the liquid for 20 minutes and serve cold with the dill yogurt.
Hot liquid and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Allergens: contains fish and milk.
Level 2 · Steamed
Ginger and spring onion steamed fish
A light, fragrant dish that takes minutes. A thin, white fillet steams in 8 to 10 minutes; hot oil poured over spring onions and ginger at the end releases their aroma. Take great care with the hot oil.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 white fish fillets (cod or sea bass), about 150 g each
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- Put the fish on a heatproof plate, scatter half the ginger and spring onion over it, and steam over simmering water, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes until it flakes.
- Lift the plate out carefully, pour away the milky juices, and scatter on the remaining ginger and spring onion.
- Heat the oil until just smoking, pour it over the topping so it sizzles, then add the soy sauce and sesame oil.
Steam, hot oil and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.
Hot oil: pouring smoking-hot oil over wet ingredients causes spitting. Do it slowly from a small pan, stand back and keep your face away.
Allergens: contains fish, soy and sesame.
Level 3 · Supper
Kedgeree
A Victorian breakfast that makes an excellent supper: poached smoked haddock, curried rice, eggs and parsley. Poach the fish first, then cook the rice in the same flavoured liquid. Rice cooking is in Cooking Skills: Rice 1, chapter 5, and boiled eggs in Cooking Skills: Eggs 1, chapter 2.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 400 g undyed smoked haddock fillets
- 500 ml water
- 1 bay leaf
- 30 g butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- 200 g basmati rice, rinsed
- 100 g frozen peas
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, in wedges
- Poach the haddock in the water with the bay leaf for 8 minutes, lift out, flake the fish and keep the liquid.
- Soften the onion in the butter for 5 minutes, add the curry powder for 1 minute, then the rice, and 400 ml of the strained poaching liquid. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low.
- Stir in the peas for 3 minutes, fold in the fish, eggs and parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Hot pan, smoked fish and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Allergens: contains fish, egg, milk and mustard (some curry powders).
Experiments
Experiment
Milk or water
Flavour.
- Poach two pieces of smoked haddock, one in milk and one in water.
Look for: The milk softens the salty smokiness and makes a creamy liquid for a sauce; the water version is saltier and sharper.
Experiment
Simmering or bubbling
Texture.
- Cook two salmon fillets, one in barely moving liquid and one in a rolling simmer.
Look for: The gentle one stays silky; the bubbling one is firmer, breaks up and leaves white protein on the surface.
Experiment
Cooling in the liquid
Moisture.
- Lift one poached fillet out and leave another to cool in the liquid.
Look for: The one left in the liquid stays moister; the one removed dries on the surface.
Experiment
Steamed or poached
Flavour and texture.
- Cook a white fillet by steaming and another by poaching in water.
Look for: The steamed fish keeps more of its own flavour; the poached one is a little softer and can lose flavour into the liquid.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haddock poached in milk | ||||
| Poached salmon | ||||
| Steamed ginger fish | ||||
| Kedgeree | ||||
| Milk or water | ||||
| Simmering or bubbling | ||||
| Cooling in the liquid | ||||
| Steamed or poached |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fish falls apart | Liquid boiling or fish handled too much | Keep the liquid below a simmer; use a fish slice |
| Tough, dry fish | Overcooked | Take it off a minute early and rest |
| Bland poached fish | Liquid unseasoned | Season the liquid; add lemon, bay and pepper |
| Milky white scum on salmon | Boiled or cooked too hot | Keep it barely moving; wipe off the white protein |
| Kedgeree stodgy | Too much liquid | Measure carefully; rinse the rice first |
| Hot oil spits | Oil too hot or topping wet | Pat the topping dry and pour slowly |
Hot liquid, steam and leftovers
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Leftover fish: cool cooked fish quickly, refrigerate it within 1 to 2 hours, and eat it within about 1 day (2 at most). Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not refreeze fish that was frozen and thawed unless you cook it first.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can poach fish in barely moving liquid.
- I can make a court bouillon.
- I can steam fish over water safely.
- I can make kedgeree from poached fish.
- I can use the poaching liquid as a sauce.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1, chapter 5 is Fish Cakes, Pies and Coatings: binding, coating and topping.