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Court-Bouillon (For Boiling Fish)
In cooking some of the coarser kinds of fish, or those that are not especially delicate in flavor, they are improved by boiling in what the French call a "court-bouillon," made with highly flavored vegetables and sweet herbs, combined with lemon juice or wine, and highly spiced. Fish cooked in this preparation is deliciously flavored. Wine is not necessary, and is only used where there is an abundance for cooking purposes. Place in the bottom of the fish-kettle a thick layer of sliced carrots and onions, with a sliced lemon, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, a few whole peppers, and 3 or 4 whole cloves.
Lay the fish on the top of this and cover with one-half cold water and one-half white wine, or lemon juice or vinegar.
Put the kettle over the fire and let it heat rather slowly. As soon as it boils, the fish should be sufficiently cooked.
Court-bouillon may be prepared the day beforehand, as the fish must always be put into it while cold. If brought to a boil and allowed to cool, the flavor of the herbs will be stronger than if made fresh. It may also be set aside and kept for use again, but it must be reheated every few days.
A classic aromatic poaching liquid, written for a long fish-kettle and a coal range. The method holds up; two of the instructions need adjustment.
- The hinge: don't trust "as soon as it boils"That rule works for a thin fillet or a small whole fish starting cold, but a thick piece will still be raw at the bone. Bring the liquid barely to a shiver, then hold it just below a simmer (about 175-180F) and cook until the thickest part reaches 140F.
- Salt is missingThe original lists no seasoning for the liquid. A court-bouillon should be seasoned like soup, roughly 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart, or the fish comes out flat no matter how good the aromatics are.
- Acid, in a usable amount"One-half white wine, or lemon juice or vinegar" is far too much acid if taken literally with vinegar or lemon, which would firm and bleach the flesh. Use half wine to half water as written, or for the non-alcoholic version about 1/4 cup lemon juice or white wine vinegar per quart of water.
- The vesselA fish-kettle is a long lidded pan with a perforated lift-out rack. Any wide pan deep enough to submerge the fish will do; set the fish on a folded strip of parchment or a plate so you can lift it out without breaking it.
- Starting coldThe instruction to put the fish into cold liquid is sound, and is why the recipe says the bouillon may be made a day ahead. Cold-start poaching heats the fish gently and keeps it from tightening and shedding albumin.
- Reusing the liquidIgnore the advice to set it aside and reheat it every few days. A fish stock left at room temperature is a spoilage risk; refrigerate it and use within two days, or freeze it.
- Quantities and yieldFor a 3 lb fish, figure two medium carrots, one large onion, one lemon, a small handful of parsley, two thyme sprigs, one bay leaf, a dozen peppercorns and 3 or 4 cloves in about 2 quarts of liquid. That serves four to six.
- AfterwardsStrain the poaching liquid and reduce it hard for a sauce base, or use it in place of stock for a chowder. It is far too well flavored to pour away.
Court-bouillon means, literally, "short broth" — short in the sense of quickly made, since unlike a long-simmered fish fumet it is built from raw vegetables, herbs and acid and needs no bones. It belongs to the French repertoire that American household books drew on in the late nineteenth century. The frank opening — that this treatment is for the coarser kinds of fish — reflects a period attitude in which cheaper, oilier or stronger-tasting fish were thought to need the correction of onion, bay, clove and vinegar; in French practice, however, fine fish such as salmon were themselves commonly poached in court-bouillon. The remark that wine is "only used where there is an abundance for cooking purposes" suggests how differently stocked an ordinary American kitchen was from a professional French one.