Poached  Fish - Two Colours

Eating healthy and quick cooking method that what I like to do. Poaching technique is one way to do that. But it has the risk to overcook it if you don't' do the right thing.

There are times that I like to indulge my self in doing fine cooking and to serve the dish beautifully. I love to prepare food with respect and to make the recipe looking good. It is pretty food on a plate.

I have been cooking since I was a little girl and loving it. I have learnt more since. Have I made mistakes? Oh ya ..... so many times.  Mistakes are a part of the learning process. One never stops learning. I believe that I learn for life. This post is all about accepting and confessing that I made a big mistake regarding this cooking, but I know how to fix it for next time.

Poached two colour fish; salmon-ling, it is a delicate fish dish. It is supposed to be light juicy and moist served with lemon butter sauce and fennel salad. Unfortunately, I was interrupted during my cooking, the result was that I overcooked the fish for 3 minutes.   I have ruined the fish. You could see the white proteins (albumen) ousing from the fish. The salmon/ling fillets leaked the white proteins (albumen). It is shown in the pictures below.

Poached Two Colours Fish
serve with lemon butter
and fennel salad

It has shown the dry dryness
of the flesh from the fish

The two colours poached fish was overcooked, regardless the flavour was great though, but it was not moist and juicy enough also the textured was not right.

The Recipe: Susy's Recipe

Two Colours Poached Fish

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 salmon steaks/fillets
2 white fish steaks /fillets - ling
Aromatic vegetables for poaching
1cup water
Fish Mousse
¾ cup diced skinned white fish
1 egg white
1tablespoon cream
Salt

(Blend and process the ingredients

in the food processor to make the mousse)

Lemon butter

2 shallots, chopped finely
1 tablespoon olive oil
50 mil white wine
1 juice of a lemon
50 g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives or fennel frond

Fennel Salad

1 white fennel bulb, sliced finely
The dressing
½ juice of a lemon
1tablespoon flat chop parsley
3tablespoons olive oil
Salt and white pepper to taste
Method
The lemon butter
Sautee the shallot with the olive oil until soft but not brown
Add in the white wine and cook to simmer over medium heat
Reduce the heat, put the butter, prepare to melt the butter
Add in the juice of lemon, stir and mix and add in the chopped fennel.
Place the sauce on a serving dish, keep warm
Preparation for the fish
Cut, skinned, and trim all the fish steaks/fillets
Use the trimming for a stock
Cut each steak into 2, so you have 8 pieces
Take two fish, one the salmon and another one the ling

Smear some mousse on the salmon and place the ling on top

Wrap it up in a cling plastic, and put aside
Do with the rest of the fish, wrap individually in a plastic wrap
Refrigerate the fish until ready to poach

Poaching the Fish

In the meantime get the aromatic vegetables ready, cut into thin slices
Put it in the shallow fry pan, place the aromatic herbs and add in 2 cups of water
Bring to simmer, and cook the vegetables for a few seconds.
Continue cooking in a gentle simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes
Reduce the heat, put the fish carefully, and place them on top of the poaching aromatic ingredients
Covered the pan, poach the fish for 7 minutes over lower heat.
Take them out, let them rest for 3 minutes.

The Fennel Salad

Mix and toss the sliced fennel with the dressing.

Serving:

No 1:

While the fish are resting, you should have: the sauce ready, and put the dressing to the salad

Place some salad on a plate, drizzle some sauce beside it and rest the fish on the sauce
Add extra sauce over the fish and serve at once. (This is serving fish individually)

No 2:

People/family serving them self

Place the salads in a serving bowl, and the fish on the serving dish.

Put some sauce on the serving dish, before putting the colour fish on it, then drizzle a little bit of lemon butter on top.
You may have to have extra lemon butter and put in a separate serving dish
Poached Two Colour Fish is a beautiful dish, pretty on the plate. Cooking for any occasions
Note: use a large poaching fish pan to prepare four or six pieces.

Preparation And The Cooking