Oil-Poached Fish With Smashed Garlic and Tomato Dressing
November 5th, 2023Poach Fish in Oil for the Perfect Flake
This recipe for oil-poached fish has a very short ingredient list and is one of the easiest dishes to make — so you’d never expect it to deliver so much flavor and flakiness.
To poach a fillet of fish, you need to do nothing more than cook it gently and slowly in a bath of good olive oil, alongside cherry tomatoes, herbs, and garlic. Oil-poaching brings out the subtler qualities of a species like Pacific halibut, transforming this meaty and firm white fish into a delicately flake-able fillet. Meanwhile, the surrounding ingredients break down gently and infuse their flavor into the oil, becoming a delicious melange to pour over the fish when whisked together for serving.
Other species of white fish can also be substituted to a similar effect. For instance, oil-poaching is a great approach to cooking Pacific cod perfectly, if you find that it usually is a bit tough in texture. Lingcod’s delicate nature is amplified when poached in oil. You should also consider poaching Pacific halibut cheeks, if you have them in your kitchen — but cut down cook time, as fish cheeks cook quickly and are best served medium-rare for peak flakiness.
Any leftover infused olive oil can be used in place of regular olive oil for another meal during the week. Try using it to make Pacific Halibut with Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Mediterranean Baked Pacific Halibut. Leftover olive oil can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.
Oil-Poached Fish With Smashed Garlic and Tomato Dressing
By Wild Alaskan Company
Prep time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total time
25 minutes
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 (6 oz.) portions Pacific halibut, Pacific cod, or lingcod
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Toasted bread, for serving
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275F.
2. In a medium baking dish, add olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes.
3. Using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, pat fish dry. Season with salt and pepper, then place in a baking dish. Transfer to oven and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Fish is medium-done when internal temperature reaches 130F at its thickest part. Add an additional few minutes of cook time as needed to reach desired doneness.
4. Transfer fish to a shallow serving bowl. In baking dish, smash tomatoes with a fork and whisk together with juices and olive oil. Pour olive oil over fish and serve immediately with toasted bread.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
