Butter Poached Monkfish

In a shallow pot, combine equal parts unsalted butter and water with some added salt. As far as salt goes, the world is your oyster! Experiment a bit. You could try sea salt, kosher, pink Himalayan, Hawaiian black lava, or one of the many others. (If you want to, you can add some herbs or spices, but that’s not strictly necessary.)

Put the monkfish (or lobster or shrimp or halibut) in the butter & water bath, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Bring up to a simmer as slowly as possible, then turn the heat off right before it comes to a boil. Make sure the fish is submerged all the way under the poaching liquid. Take care not to boil the butter, as it will give your fish a rubbery texture.

Now, for how long to cook it. I do it by sight: just cook it until it’s done. Easy for me to say, right? Don’t worry, a long slow poach is pretty forgiving. The flesh will get firmer as it simmers, and you just need to stop before it gets rubbery. Just don’t boil it, and you’ll be fine.

The best part about this process is that you can save the poaching liquid and use it again. Whether you’ll want to poach something else or add another flavor component when you’re sauteeing or making sauces, poaching liquid is a good thing to have handy around the kitchen.