Court-Bouillon (Acid to Water to Aromatics)

1 litre

Cold water — Starting volume before any reduction; increase proportionally for large poaching vessels

250 ml

Dry white wine — Muscadet, Vermouth Dry, or any acidic, unoaked white; the primary acid source and aromatic contributor

30 ml

White wine vinegar — Optional — added for shellfish (shrimp, crayfish) where a sharper acid edge aids color and flavor; omit for delicate fish like sole

60 g, sliced

White onion or shallots — Mild allium base; avoid red onion which turns the liquid pink

40 g, sliced

Carrot — Sweetness to balance the acid; cut thin so it softens in the short cook time

20 g

Celery — Aromatic backbone; the stalk, not the leaves (which can turn bitter)

10–12 g per litre

Salt — Court-bouillon should taste pleasantly saline before adding fish — the fish will not absorb much salt, but under-seasoned poaching liquid produces flat results

1 small bundle

Bouquet garni — Bay leaf, parsley stems, white peppercorns (8–10); no thyme or rosemary — too assertive for delicate fish

Combine all ingredients in a wide, shallow pan (a sauteuse or rondeau is ideal — more surface area keeps fish submerged in less liquid). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15–20 minutes to develop flavor. Taste and adjust acid and salt. For immediate use, proceed to add fish: bring to 75–80 °C (never a rolling boil), add fish, and poach gently until the flesh is just opaque (65–70 °C internal). Alternatively, prepare and cool the court-bouillon, then refrigerate; it improves overnight and holds for up to 3 days.

• Always season the court-bouillon generously before adding fish — the fish absorbs almost no salt during brief poaching, but a well-seasoned liquid perfumes the flesh.
• The liquid must never boil when fish is in it. A rolling boil hammers delicate proteins, producing rubbery, flaky results. Maintain 75–80 °C.
• Court-bouillon can be reused 2–3 times for successive batches of fish; it actually improves on the second use. Strain and refrigerate between uses.
• For large whole fish (a 2 kg salmon), start in cold court-bouillon and bring the temperature up slowly — this produces dramatically more even cooking and prevents surface toughening.
• Shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crayfish) benefit from slightly higher acid and a brief plunge at near-boil (90 °C) for 2–3 minutes, then removed from heat to coast to doneness.
• The bouquet garni goes in from the start — unlike stock, where timing is less critical, the short cook time means all aromatic components must steep from the beginning.

• Vinegar-based (no wine)

  60–80 ml white wine vinegar per litre water; used when wine is unavailable or for assertive shellfish (blue crabs, crayfish); omit for delicate sole or turbot

• Red wine court-bouillon

  250 ml robust red wine per litre water; classic for salmon and freshwater carp; do not use for white-fleshed fish (colors the flesh grey)

• Lemon court-bouillon

  Juice of 2 lemons + 2 spent halves per litre water; used for octopus and squid; citrus tannins help tenderize cephalopod muscle

• Nage (refined court-bouillon)

  Court-bouillon strained, reduced by 30%, then finished with butter — used as a sauce around the fish rather than discarded; garnished with the poached vegetable julienne

• Asian aromatic broth (ginger-scallion variant)

  Replace wine with Shaoxing wine (250 ml), add 30 g sliced ginger and 3 scallions; classic for Cantonese steamed fish; not a true court-bouillon but serves the same function

• Milk court-bouillon

  1 litre whole milk + aromatics; used specifically for smoked haddock — milk neutralizes saltiness and tempers strong smoke; acid entirely absent

• Fish Stock (Bones to Water to Aromatics)

  A bone-based alternative to court-bouillon for poaching — adds body and gelatin that court-bouillon lacks; used when a richer sauce is planned

• Beurre Blanc (Reduction to Butter)

  A classic sauce served with court-bouillon-poached fish; the reduction base is itself a simplified court-bouillon of shallots and white wine

• Blanching Ratio (Salt to Water)

  Shares the 'large volume of seasoned liquid' principle; blanching uses boiling temperature, court-bouillon uses sub-simmer heat

1. 1.Escoffier, Auguste. Le Guide Culinaire. Flammarion, 1903 (trans. Cracknell & Kaufmann, Wiley, 2011)
2. 2.Peterson, James. Fish & Shellfish. Morrow, 1996
3. 3.Child, Julia, Louisette Bertholle & Simone Beck. Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Knopf, 1961
4. 4.Bocuse, Paul. La Cuisine du marché. Flammarion, 1976

Confidence: high