Poached Fish
“Finding a white wine suitable for cooking is more of a problem, I think, than finding a red. In whites, you are looking for a full-bodied dry wine that will not sour your sauce. The French Mâcon is my choice, but where do I find a reasonably priced bottle here?"
--Julia Child
Thank you, Mrs. Child. And thank you Trader Joe's, for carrying Julia's favorite, French Mâcon at a reasonable price. I've been wanting to make this for a while. I definitely haven't avoided cooking this year, but I haven't taken on a Julia recipe like Julie Powell did for her project.
J and I discovered two separate recipes for this dish, a white wine poached fish. One is from the classic cookbook, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, and the other is from Julia and Jacque Cooking At Home. We decided to go with the latter.
While I let some frozen cod thaw for a bit, I diced some shallots, and I washed and thinly sliced some mushrooms.
I seasoned the fish on both sides and put it in the pan I was planning to cook it in. I poured my poaching liquid (white wine, lemon juice and water) in the pan as well.
I topped the fish with the mushrooms, and brought the liquid to a boil. Then turned it down to a simmer, and let it go for about five or six more minutes. It turned out beautifully, and had a nice, mild flavor.
J made an awesome beurre blanc that we spooned over the plated fish and mushrooms. It was fantastic.
This is a pretty simple dish to make, but it's very impressive to serve to company. Julia and Jacque Cooking At Home is also a great book with a lot of good information in it for people who are just beginning to cook, but also for those who love cooking and are already skilled.
In the words of Julia, "Bon Appétit!"
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