Poached Fish Fillets with Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 2, 2012
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes salting
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Fish
4 (6-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thickKosher salt 8 scallion whites, sliced ¼ inch thick2 teaspoons cornstarch ¾ cup olive oil ½ onion, peeledVinaigrette
6 scallion greens 8 teaspoons lime juice 2 tablespoons mirin 4 teaspoons white miso paste2 teaspoons minced ginger 2 teaspoons pepper ½ teaspoon sugar2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced2 scallion greens, thinly sliced
Before You Begin
Fillets of meaty white fish like cod, halibut, sea bass, or snapper work best in this recipe. Just make sure the fillets are at least 1 inch thick. A neutral oil such as canola can be substituted for the pure olive oil. The onion half in step 3 is used to displace the oil; a 4-ounce porcelain ramekin may be used instead. Serve with couscous or steamed white rice.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season each fillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss scallion whites and cornstarch in bowl to coat. Heat 1/2 cup oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Shake excess cornstarch from scallion whites and add to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Transfer scallion whites to ovenproof paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Do not wash strainer.
- Return strained oil to skillet and add remaining ¼ cup oil. Place onion half in center of pan. Let oil cool until it registers about 180 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Arrange fish fillets, skinned side up, around onion (oil should come roughly halfway up fillets). Spoon a little oil over each fillet, cover skillet, transfer to middle rack, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip fillets. Cover skillet, return to middle rack, and place plate with scallion whites on lower-middle rack. Continue to cook fish until it registers 130 to 135 degrees, 9 to 14 minutes longer. Gently transfer fish to serving platter, reserving 1/2 cup oil, and tent fish loosely with aluminum foil. Turn off oven, leaving plate of scallion whites in oven.
- Process 6 scallion greens, lime juice, mirin, white miso paste, ginger, and sugar with reserved 1/2 cup fish cooking oil in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add any accumulated fish juice from platter, season with salt to taste, and blend for 10 seconds. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (discard solids).
- To serve, pour vinaigrette around fish. Garnish each fillet with fried scallion whites, 2 scallion greens, and radishes. Serve immediately.
for the fish
for the vinaigrette
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes saltingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Fish
4 (6-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick
Kosher salt
8 scallion whites, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
6 scallion greens
8 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin
4 teaspoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
2 scallion greens, thinly sliced
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fish
4 (6-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick
Kosher salt
8 scallion whites, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
6 scallion greens
8 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin
4 teaspoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
2 scallion greens, thinly sliced
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fish
4 (6-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick
Kosher salt
8 scallion whites, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
6 scallion greens
8 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin
4 teaspoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
2 scallion greens, thinly sliced
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This restaurant-style dish requires a pot of pricey olive oil and promises super-moist, delicately cooked fish. Using a small skillet and flipping the fish halfway through allowed us to cut back to 3/4 cup of oil, which we employed to crisp flavorful garnishes and finally blended into a creamy vinaigrette.
Before You Begin
Fillets of meaty white fish like cod, halibut, sea bass, or snapper work best in this recipe. Just make sure the fillets are at least 1 inch thick. A neutral oil such as canola can be substituted for the pure olive oil. The onion half in step 3 is used to displace the oil; a 4-ounce porcelain ramekin may be used instead. Serve with couscous or steamed white rice.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season each fillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss scallion whites and cornstarch in bowl to coat. Heat 1/2 cup oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Shake excess cornstarch from scallion whites and add to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Transfer scallion whites to ovenproof paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Do not wash strainer.
- Return strained oil to skillet and add remaining ¼ cup oil. Place onion half in center of pan. Let oil cool until it registers about 180 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Arrange fish fillets, skinned side up, around onion (oil should come roughly halfway up fillets). Spoon a little oil over each fillet, cover skillet, transfer to middle rack, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip fillets. Cover skillet, return to middle rack, and place plate with scallion whites on lower-middle rack. Continue to cook fish until it registers 130 to 135 degrees, 9 to 14 minutes longer. Gently transfer fish to serving platter, reserving 1/2 cup oil, and tent fish loosely with aluminum foil. Turn off oven, leaving plate of scallion whites in oven.
- Process 6 scallion greens, lime juice, mirin, white miso paste, ginger, and sugar with reserved 1/2 cup fish cooking oil in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add any accumulated fish juice from platter, season with salt to taste, and blend for 10 seconds. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (discard solids).
- To serve, pour vinaigrette around fish. Garnish each fillet with fried scallion whites, 2 scallion greens, and radishes. Serve immediately.
for the fish
for the vinaigrette
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