So why pray tell would you want to poach in the first place? Poaching is the process of cooking something at a gentle simmer at a low temperature. This is just a different way to cook something that could otherwise dry out easily. It preserves flavor and juiciness without a lot of fat. I often like to poach boneless skinless chicken breasts when I need to quickly shred it for chicken salad or cube it for casseroles. I poach fish, usually salmon or bass, sometimes skin on or off, when I want it to be moist, tender and flaky, but don’t feel like frying it or turning on the oven. This method is good for the summertime when it’s too hot for all that. Just follow these 4 easy steps to be a poaching pro.
Pictured here, the salmon filet came out tender, juicy, and flaked easily with a fork. We enjoyed it with just a squeeze of lime for a light lunch, served alongside a refreshing jicama slaw and some brown rice. Yummers in the tummers.
How to Poach
Ingredients
- Poaching liquid: water or stock
- Acid: lemon juice, vinegar, or white wine
- Fresh Herbs
- Vegetables
- Fish or Chicken
Instructions
- First, you'll need a poaching liquid: The base of this liquid could either be plain water or stock. All you need to add to this base is an acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or white wine. Then you want to garnish it with some aromatics, like fresh herbs or spices, a mirepoix, which is a mix of fragrant vegetables such as equal parts carrots, onions and celery, and then season the whole thing with salt and pepper.
- Next you'll need a shallow pot with a lid: You just have to estimate that you'll need enough liquid to come up to the sides of the fish. But for chicken, you'll want to just barely cover it, to ensure that it safely cooks all the way through. For every 2 cups of water or liquid you use, add in about 1/3 of a cup of acid. Seasonings and aromatics are to taste.
- Proceed with the poaching: Saute your vegetables in olive oil, stir and cover with a lid for a minute or so to sweat them until they're tender, but without color. Add your liquid, acid, aromatics and seasoning. Bring to a gentle simmer. Carefully add the fish or chicken to your poaching liquid. Cover with a lid and keep on low until it's cooked through, but DO NOT over-cook it! I taught this method for cooking salmon to one couple and they LOVED it when I made it. When they recreated it on their own, it kept coming out dry. I told them they were probably over-cooking it. They admitted they were, for fear it wouldn't be cooked enough. So, yes, make sure especially for chicken that it's cooked all the way through, but the very minute it is, kill the heat and take it out. Over-cooking with any method leads to dryness!
- Reduce the liquid and use as a sauce: Once you remove the fish or chicken, cover it with aluminum foil to keep it warm, and then turn your heat to high. Boil and reduce the liquid slightly, taste for seasoning, adjust if needed and spoon some over the fish or chicken. If you have a lot of poaching liquid sauce left over, freeze it, and add it to your stock the next time you make either a seafood or chicken soup. Instant flavor-nation.
