Poached Fish Fillets with Cilantro and Jalapeño Vinaigrette
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2012
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes salting
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Fish
4 skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick (6 ounces each)Kosher salt 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rings2 teaspoons cornstarch ¾ cup olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced½ onion, peeledVinaigrette
4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, halved, pith and seeds reserved½ small shallot, peeled6 sprigs fresh cilantro 8 teaspoons fresh lime juice Kosher salt2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves ½ avocado, pitted and cut into ¼-inch pieces (optional)
Before You Begin
Fillets of meaty white fish like cod, halibut, sea bass, or snapper work best in this recipe. We strongly recommend pure olive oil, but in a pinch, a neutral oil such as canola can be substituted. The onion half in step 2 is used to displace the oil; an inverted 4-ounce porcelain ramekin may be used instead. To make this dish spicier, add the reserved chile pith and seeds to the vinaigrette in sctep 4. Serve with 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 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine jalapeños and cornstarch in small bowl and toss to coat. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Shake excess cornstarch from jalapeños and add to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp but still pale, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Stir in garlic and continue to cook until garlic is just golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Pour contents of skillet through fine-mesh strainer into measuring cup; transfer jalapeños and garlic to ovensafe paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Do not wash strainer.
- Add oil to measuring cup to make 3/4 cup; transfer to skillet (off heat). Place onion half in center of pan and let cool until oil registers about 180 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Arrange fish fillets, skinned-side up, around onion (oil should come roughly halfway up fillets). Spoon little oil over each fillet, cover skillet, transfer to middle rack, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and, using two spatulas, carefully flip fillets. Cover skillet, return to middle rack, and continue to bake until fish registers 130 to 135 degrees, 9 to 15 minutes longer, transferring plate with fried jalapeños and garlic to lower-middle rack halfway through cooking. Gently transfer fish to serving platter, reserving 1/2 cup oil, and tent loosely with aluminum foil; turn off oven.
- Combine jalapeños, shallot, cilantro sprigs, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with reserved 1/2 cup fish cooking oil in blender. Blend on high speed until sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. Add any accumulated fish juice from platter, season with salt to taste, and blend 10 seconds longer. Strain vinaigrette 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 reserved crisped jalapeños and garlic, cilantro leaves, and avocado (if using). Serve immediately.
for the fish
for the vinaigrette
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes saltingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Fish
4 skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick (6 ounces each)
Kosher salt
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rings
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, halved, pith and seeds reserved
½ small shallot, peeled
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
8 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
½ avocado, pitted and cut into ¼-inch pieces (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fish
4 skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick (6 ounces each)
Kosher salt
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rings
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, halved, pith and seeds reserved
½ small shallot, peeled
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
8 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
½ avocado, pitted and cut into ¼-inch pieces (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Fish
4 skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick (6 ounces each)
Kosher salt
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rings
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¾ cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, peeled
Vinaigrette
4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, halved, pith and seeds reserved
½ small shallot, peeled
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
8 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
½ avocado, pitted and cut into ¼-inch pieces (optional)
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. We strongly recommend pure olive oil, but in a pinch, a neutral oil such as canola can be substituted. The onion half in step 2 is used to displace the oil; an inverted 4-ounce porcelain ramekin may be used instead. To make this dish spicier, add the reserved chile pith and seeds to the vinaigrette in sctep 4. Serve with 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 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine jalapeños and cornstarch in small bowl and toss to coat. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Shake excess cornstarch from jalapeños and add to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp but still pale, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Stir in garlic and continue to cook until garlic is just golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Pour contents of skillet through fine-mesh strainer into measuring cup; transfer jalapeños and garlic to ovensafe paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Do not wash strainer.
- Add oil to measuring cup to make 3/4 cup; transfer to skillet (off heat). Place onion half in center of pan and let cool until oil registers about 180 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Arrange fish fillets, skinned-side up, around onion (oil should come roughly halfway up fillets). Spoon little oil over each fillet, cover skillet, transfer to middle rack, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and, using two spatulas, carefully flip fillets. Cover skillet, return to middle rack, and continue to bake until fish registers 130 to 135 degrees, 9 to 15 minutes longer, transferring plate with fried jalapeños and garlic to lower-middle rack halfway through cooking. Gently transfer fish to serving platter, reserving 1/2 cup oil, and tent loosely with aluminum foil; turn off oven.
- Combine jalapeños, shallot, cilantro sprigs, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with reserved 1/2 cup fish cooking oil in blender. Blend on high speed until sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. Add any accumulated fish juice from platter, season with salt to taste, and blend 10 seconds longer. Strain vinaigrette 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 reserved crisped jalapeños and garlic, cilantro leaves, and avocado (if using). Serve immediately.
for the fish
for the vinaigrette
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