By Irene Hayton

Poaching is a quick, low-fat method for cooking fish and can be used for fillets, steaks, or whole fish. You can add whatever vegetables or herbs that you like to the poaching liquid. Be sure to keep the liquid at a gentle simmer—any higher than that and the fish will fall apart. Be careful not to overcook the fish or it will be tough and dry; a general rule of thumb is to cook fish for approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

  • water
  • ½ a lemon, thinly sliced
  • ½ a stalk celery, sliced
  • 1 slice red onion, cut in half and separated into rings
  • 1 clove garlic cut in half
  • 4 sprigs fresh parsley
  • ½ pound (250 g) halibut fillets

Fill a deep skillet or wok with enough water to cover the halibut. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the halibut and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and, using a slotted spatula, add the halibut to the poaching liquid. Cover and cook for about five minutes, until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Carefully remove the fillets with a slotted spatula, drain and pat dry. Discard the poaching liquid. Halibut tastes great with just a bit of unprocessed sea salt and fresh lemon juice, or you can serve it with Yogurt Dill Sauce, below. Makes 2 servings.

Yogurt Dill Sauce

  • ½ cup (125 ml) low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Dijon mustard
  • pinch unprocessed sea salt
  • 1 or 2 pinches dried dill or 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) minced fresh dill (to taste)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate. If possible, make this sauce at least an hour before serving to allow the flavours to blend.