Maple and Wine Poached Fish

Simple. Fresh. Light.

This maple-poached fish recipe is perfect for spring. It takes a grand total of 15 minutes to make and it’s completely addictive. It also feels very indulgent to poach fish in maple syrup. Serve this at a dinner party and everyone will think you’re amazing. Just don’t tell anyone there are only six ingredients (four, if you don’t count the water or salt)…

I used the vanilla, star anise and cinnamon maple syrup I was given to play with by Canadian company Pure Infused. My favourite fish recipe in the world is for Arctic char in a vanilla apple sauce. I hoped this would be a simplified but equally as world-joltingly delicious experience. If you don’t have this particular maple syrup, you could add half a slit open vanilla bean, 1/2 a star anise and a small baton of cinnamon. It’s more work to strain the sauce after, but it’ll do. Or you could go with plain old maple syrup. Don’t mess with a good thing?

For the fish, use a sustainable white-fleshed fish — Pacific halibut if you’ve got the money, or line-caught Atlantic haddock, snapper or porgy if you’re me. Ask the person at your fish counter if what you’re buying is sustainable. If they don’t know, ask them to inform themselves. Insist politely.

For the wine, choose something you’ll actually want to drink the rest of. I’d been saving this bottle of Mistaken Identity 2012 Bianco that I’d picked up in Vancouver in August. It was worth the wait.

Maple and Wine Poached Fish

Served 4-6

1 lemon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lb fish fillets (4-6 servings), skin removed

Remove the fish from the fridge five minutes before using. Peel long strips of zest from the lemon and combine in a large saucepan with the maple syrup, wine, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add fish fillets gently so they all fit in a single layer in the pan (I cut mine smaller to make more servings and help them fit in the pan). If they don’t fit, work in batches.

 

Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and gently turn fillets upside-down. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes longer (2 for thin fillets). Fish should be just beginning to flake.

Remove from the poaching liquid immediately and place on a serving plate or individual plates of rice, mashed cauliflower or potato purée. Bring poaching liquid to a boil and reduce heat to medium for five minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt or lemon juice). Strain over fish. Serve with lemon slices, or lemon balm as in the picture above.