as a fish dish, haddock is not a big seller. it's a good fish - methinks it needs a sexier name.
for two.
no pix, as this was my first trip through this recipe/approach. wished I had....there's a lesson there....
1.5 lbs / 680 g haddock filet. okay okay, a bit on the much side for two people - I would have been happier at 1.25 lb / 570 g - but I opted to take the whole filet 'side' - this has a downside - see below.
pretty much every 'poached haddock' recipe on-line is based on milk/cream. odd methought... but anywhey . . . proceeded according to plan:
note - most recipes call for a lemony sauce - I used one whole fresh lemon, rolled, sliced in half at the equator, juiced with a reamer into a bowl - seeds, pulp, the works, juice later added through a strainer....
before starting the fish poach, in a separate 2 qt / 500 ml pot, make a 1:1 roux - 2 tbsp / 30 g butter + 2 tbsp / 30 ml flour, and lightly bubble for 4-5 minutes to cook out the raw flour, then add 2 tbsp / 30 ml dry mustard and lemon juice and whisk in - the roux will "seize" / congeal - that's okay - allow to cool.
in a 10" / 26 cm fry pan, add one medium finely sliced&quartered yellow onion, a cup / 250 ml of water, no salt, lots of fresh ground black pepper and 3 tbsp / ? g of dried parsley. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, allow volume to reduce by about 50%.
add the haddock filet - I had to cut it in half so it would fit in the pan.
add milk to cover fish, increase heat to bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, and cover. recheck heat after 2-3 minutes - the cover contains heat and will create a more vigorous simmer - not a good thing for poaching fish.... at this point, re-start re-heating the roux . . .
haddock is done when it just starts to separate into flakes. take it off the heat / off the burner - no residual heating please....
bring the roux pot back up to temperature, add ladle by ladle the milk poaching liquid to create a sauce of your heart's desired thickness. hit the heat - the poaching liquid is "cool" - use a whisk, don't walk away.
plate fish, drizzle sauce - steamed green asparagus is a good side (can also be sauced); boiled/smashed red potatoes....
excellent yummy dish which is more complicated to write out than execute.
Things that went a bit off in this first try -
The Fish: I got the whole filet - gills to tail, which = thick to thin. not recommended comma because the thinner portion poached quicker than the thicker portion. DW thought the fish was a bit chewy - a chewy fish has been over cooked - not a lot of Q's on that issue. the thicker portion, which wound up on my plate, and which I used to judge doneness - methought was excellent. so - be alert - either get pieces of relatively same thickness or pull the thinner pieces out of the poach sooner.
The Lemon: I estimate the juice of the fresh lemon was about 3 tbsp / 45 ml. DW found the sauce too lemony - I found it delicious. so.....adjust the quantity to preferences.
Bottom Line: fear not the haddock in a milk poach - it's good eats.
for two.
no pix, as this was my first trip through this recipe/approach. wished I had....there's a lesson there....
1.5 lbs / 680 g haddock filet. okay okay, a bit on the much side for two people - I would have been happier at 1.25 lb / 570 g - but I opted to take the whole filet 'side' - this has a downside - see below.
pretty much every 'poached haddock' recipe on-line is based on milk/cream. odd methought... but anywhey . . . proceeded according to plan:
note - most recipes call for a lemony sauce - I used one whole fresh lemon, rolled, sliced in half at the equator, juiced with a reamer into a bowl - seeds, pulp, the works, juice later added through a strainer....
before starting the fish poach, in a separate 2 qt / 500 ml pot, make a 1:1 roux - 2 tbsp / 30 g butter + 2 tbsp / 30 ml flour, and lightly bubble for 4-5 minutes to cook out the raw flour, then add 2 tbsp / 30 ml dry mustard and lemon juice and whisk in - the roux will "seize" / congeal - that's okay - allow to cool.
in a 10" / 26 cm fry pan, add one medium finely sliced&quartered yellow onion, a cup / 250 ml of water, no salt, lots of fresh ground black pepper and 3 tbsp / ? g of dried parsley. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, allow volume to reduce by about 50%.
add the haddock filet - I had to cut it in half so it would fit in the pan.
add milk to cover fish, increase heat to bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, and cover. recheck heat after 2-3 minutes - the cover contains heat and will create a more vigorous simmer - not a good thing for poaching fish.... at this point, re-start re-heating the roux . . .
haddock is done when it just starts to separate into flakes. take it off the heat / off the burner - no residual heating please....
bring the roux pot back up to temperature, add ladle by ladle the milk poaching liquid to create a sauce of your heart's desired thickness. hit the heat - the poaching liquid is "cool" - use a whisk, don't walk away.
plate fish, drizzle sauce - steamed green asparagus is a good side (can also be sauced); boiled/smashed red potatoes....
excellent yummy dish which is more complicated to write out than execute.
Things that went a bit off in this first try -
The Fish: I got the whole filet - gills to tail, which = thick to thin. not recommended comma because the thinner portion poached quicker than the thicker portion. DW thought the fish was a bit chewy - a chewy fish has been over cooked - not a lot of Q's on that issue. the thicker portion, which wound up on my plate, and which I used to judge doneness - methought was excellent. so - be alert - either get pieces of relatively same thickness or pull the thinner pieces out of the poach sooner.
The Lemon: I estimate the juice of the fresh lemon was about 3 tbsp / 45 ml. DW found the sauce too lemony - I found it delicious. so.....adjust the quantity to preferences.
Bottom Line: fear not the haddock in a milk poach - it's good eats.