Fish and shellfish cook so quickly in hot liquid that some cooks make poaching part of the presentation at the table. Pour steaming consommé into a bowl containing raw scallops or small cubes of fish, and the diner can witness their instant opacification and savor the evolution of their texture.
From the book On Food and Cooking (2nd edition) by Harold McGee. © 2004 Harold McGee.
By permission of Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.