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Recipe

Poached fish in milk

20 min • 4 servings •
David
Steamed white fish fillet with parsley sauce served on mashed potatoes and peas, with fresh parsley and onion in the background.

I make no apologies for this simple recipe. This is food the way my mother made it to feed a huge, hungry family.

To me, this is as comforting as it gets. It is a culinary heirloom that I hope my children and their children cook long after I am gone.

Ready

  • Boneless white fish fillets, whatever is chunky, flaky and fresh
  • Milk
  • Parsley
  • Some things of your choice to flavour the poaching liquor (I might use a bay leaf, half an onion, sliced, a few peppercorns)
  • Butter

    • Set

  • A big pan with a lid
  • A sieve

    • Go!

  • Pour a pint or so of milk (enough for your fish to be half covered but not submerged) into your pan and add a bayleaf, some peppercorns, some onion… whatever you fancy. Bring it to the boil and reduce to a very low simmer.
  • Season the fish with salt and lay gently in the milk.
  • Cover and poach for maybe five minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Spoon some of the milk liquor over the fish to finish off the cooking if it needs it. Don’t you dare over-cook it though.
  • Remove the fish and place on a big heap of mash potatoes.
  • Meanwhile, pass the liquor through a sieve into a pan, reduce a bit and add chopped parsley and as much butter as your arteries can bear.
  • Taste, season if necessary and pour over the fish and make sure plenty of sauce is floating around the plate.
  • Serve with peas.
  • Eat with a spoon.

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