Fish kettle

A long, narrow pot with a rack: a whole fish poached in court-bouillon and lifted out in one piece.

Also called poissonnière, fish poacher · From European fish kitchens

A long metal fish kettle with its rack, a whole poached fish, and lemon slices.

The journey

A fish kettle is a shape invented so a whole fish does not have to be cut to fit a pot. German, Greek, and Italian pages in the series still name it when a sea bass, a trout, or a festive fish should arrive intact. The rack is the point: you lift the fish, not scoop it.

Forty-seven recipes ask for one. A wide skillet can poach a fillet. It cannot present a whole fish to a table.

A 1740 map of the German lands — kitchens that still poach a whole fish in a long pot. — Johann Baptist Homann, map of the Holy Roman Empire (1740) · Public domain. Source

In the kitchen

Court-bouillon first — wine, bay, onion, a little acid. Lower the fish onto the rack. Barely simmer. Lift, drain, and serve with oil or a simple sauce.

If you do not own the kettle, a roasting pan and a rack can hint at it. The theater of the long pot is the recipe.

Used in these ComidaTime kitchens

Find a fish kettle on Amazon