Preparing a Whole Poached Fish for Serving

For easy serving and eating, remove the skin and bones of a whole poached fish, such as the salmon shown here. If you follow the method below, the fish can still be presented whole so it will look attractive, an important consideration if you are serving the fish as a table centrepiece. The fish can be served hot or cold.

1. After poaching turn the fish on to baking parchment. Cut along the backbone. Working from head to tail, peel away skin.

   

2. Scrape away any dark flesh with a chef’s knife. Roll the fish from the paper on to a serving plate.

   

3. Repeating steps 1 and 2, peel away the skin and scrape the dark flesh from the reverse side. Carefully split the top fillet of the fish using a chef’s knife, then lav the pieces to either side.

   

4. Lift out the backbone, bringing the rib bones out with it, if necessary, cutting it from the tail end of the fish with kitchen scissors.

   

5. Put both of the top fillets back in place. The fish is now ready to coat with a sauce or garnish.