Poaching Whole Fish

There are few dishes more dramatic than a whole salmon served at a long table of guests. Large fish such as salmon or Arctic char have to be poached in a fish poacher with a rack. Wrestling with them in any other way will result in disaster. Large flatfish such as authentic turbot, rarely seen in the United States and expensive, are poached in a diamond-shaped fish poacher called a turbotière. However, smaller fish, such as trout, don’t require a specialized pan and can be gently lifted out of a pot of poaching liquid with a long spatula. Or, you can wrap the fish in cheesecloth and then pull it out of the liquid with the help of tongs and a spatula.