Procedure for Poaching Seafood

Appears in

Published 2010

If necessary, fabricate the seafood into portions of equal weight and size.
Place enough of the cuisson in a nonreactive pan to completely cover the seafood. Bring it to the boil.
Prepare an ice bain-marie large enough to accommodate the cooking pan plus an adequate quantity of ice, or set a shallow hotel pan or sheet tray near the stove.
Add the seafood to the cuisson and wait for the cuisson to recover to a bare simmer. Adjust the heat source to maintain the simmer (A).
Poach the seafood just under the desired doneness.
Cool quickly to stop carryover cooking, using one of the following methods:
- Immerse the pan in the ice bain-marie (B). Remove the seafood from the cuisson only when it is completely cold. Alternatively, refrigerate the seafood in its cuisson.
- Remove the seafood from the cuisson and place it in one layer in the shallow pan. Moisten it with a little of the cuisson, and refrigerate it uncovered. Cover the seafood as soon as it becomes cold.
To keep the cuisson for further use, bring it to a full, rolling boil and pour it through a fine mesh strainer. Open-pan cool it (preferably in an ice bain-marie), and refrigerate or freeze it.