Pick a fish, any fish

Where is it written that when you poach a fish, it has to be salmon?

Of course, poached salmon has its charms, but there are other fish in the sea -- and in the river.

In fact, poaching may be the best way to appreciate the pure flavor of any of them, from delicate sole filets to whole striped bass.

The technique is simple: Lower a whole fish or filet into barely simmering liquid, cover it, cook it briefly and lift it out. The fish becomes lightly infused with the flavors of the poaching medium, yet it’s cooked so gently that the natural, nuanced flavor of the fish takes a front seat. When you poach a fish, flavors emerge that would be obscured by the high heat of other cooking methods, such as searing or broiling. The texture is beautiful too: soft, tender and moist.

When it comes to creativity, there’s no better canvas. Poached fish can be served hot, cold or anywhere in between. It can be adorned with just a slice of lemon and sprig of parsley, or dressed up with any one of a wide variety of sauces -- vinaigrette, beurre blanc or flavored mayonnaise. Or you can serve it a la nage, garnished with vegetables used to flavor a court bouillon along with a little of the bouillon as a sauce.

Poaching is as simple and forgiving a way to cook fish as you’ll ever find. The only slightly tricky parts are determining when the fish is done and getting it out of the poaching liquid and onto a platter in one piece. Yet one or two attempts will turn anyone into a pro. And a broken filet can always be prettied up with garnishes.

The easiest fish to poach have firm flesh that will hold up without breaking apart. Monkfish, albacore and other tuna, arctic char, turbot, skate and halibut all are good candidates. And whole fish are easier to lift out of the water than filets.

A whole striped bass is a natural for poaching. They commonly are found in the 1 1/2- to 2-pound size, which is convenient for this technique. Whole red snapper and catfish also work well. Small whole mackerel -- a dark, oily-fleshed member of the tuna family -- hold up nicely during poaching.

Next, think about the poaching liquid.

Fish can be poached in water flavored with herbs and vegetables or slices of citrus; a court bouillon made of water, wine, lemon juice or vinegar, aromatic vegetables and other flavorings; or a fumet of fish stock and seasonings.

Use more assertive herbs and seasonings for the stronger-flavored types of fish and a more delicate treatment for mild fish, so its flavors are enhanced, not masked. Let the poaching liquid simmer with any aromatics before adding the fish for a more flavorful liquid.

Our Mediterranean striped bass is poached in salted water flavored with carrot, onion, lemon, parsley and bay leaf.

For the Japanese-style mackerel, the medium is a dashi-based broth. Dashi is bonito-seaweed stock; we use dashi-no-moto, an instant form, as a handy shortcut. You can find it in Japanese markets or the Asian section of many supermarkets and using it is as easy as dropping a bouillon cube into hot water. With fresh ginger and green onion added, it makes an excellent poaching liquid.

For petrale sole -- a more delicate filet -- we used a poaching liquid of mild white wine, chicken broth and lemon court bouillon.

Whatever liquid you use, it’s important that it remains just below a simmer, with the water barely moving and no air bubbles breaking the surface -- this is sometimes called “shivering.” Heat that is too high will cause the fish to toughen, break apart and lose flavor. During poaching you’ll want to remove the cover and check to see that the liquid is shivering, not boiling. If you notice any bubbles, leave the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat.

You don’t need fancy equipment, though a fish poacher is a great piece of equipment to have. It’s just an elongated pot with a rack on the bottom, and can be bought for as little as $20. Because the pan is tailored to fit fish, you’ll use less stock, and the rack makes lifting the cooked fish a less-risky proposition.

But really, you can do without a fish poacher, just improvise: A roasting pan or skillet does nicely, depending on the size of the fish. The pan needs to be just large and deep enough to hold the fish and enough poaching liquid to barely cover it.

And you can rig up your own lift-rack: Just place the uncooked fish on a length of foil long enough to cover the bottom of the pan and extend up beyond the sides. When the cooking is done, you can grasp the ends of the foil, and cradle the fish out and onto the plate. For smaller fish or filets, a large spatula works fine.

A good tip for fragile fish is to lay parchment paper on top to help prevent it from breaking up during poaching. Whole fish and filets also can be wrapped in cheesecloth to help keep their shape.

As far as cooking time, the rule of thumb for poaching is 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. If you’re poaching a whole fish, check for doneness by piercing the fish with the tip of a knife along the backbone near the thickest part. Filets should also be checked at the thickest part. When in doubt, check the temperature: At 160 degrees, it’s done. (If you’re serving it cold, you may want to remove it from the heat when it is slightly underdone and allow it to sit in the poaching liquid and cool to room temperature before chilling. The cooling time in the poaching liquid will add flavor.)

Finally, you’ll want to add some colorful touches to finish your dish. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we finished our three dishes with a wide range of flavors.

The striped bass rests on a bed of Swiss chard, with fried capers for a little crunch. The poached sole has a beautiful emerald basil-garlic oil and champagne vinaigrette drizzled over the top. And the mackerel is dressed up with a crumbling of loose green tea and cold soba noodles.

It’s enough to make us forget about salmon entirely.

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Poached mackerel with ginger-soy sauce and soba noodles

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: Dashi-no-moto is the instant form of dashi, a bonito-seaweed stock. It is available at Japanese markets and the imported foods section of many supermarkets, sold in boxes of 0.35-ounce packets.

2 whole mackerel, cleaned, heads removed, tails left on (about 1 pound)

1 (0.35-ounce) packet of dashi-no-moto

10 cups water

4 slices fresh ginger

2 green onions, green tops only, cut into 2-inch pieces

5 ounces soba noodles

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1/4cup light soy sauce

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced green onion

1/4 cup minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon crumbled green tea leaves (or more to taste)

1 small carrot, cut into long, thin strips

1. Rinse the fish under cold running water. Open each fish and lay it flat on a cutting board. Cut each in half lengthwise along the spine, using kitchen shears or a very sharp knife to cut through the thick part of the bones.

2. Combine the dashi-no-moto,

water, slices of ginger and green

onion tops in a fish poacher or large roasting pan. Heat to simmering. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes to bring out the flavors of the poaching liquid.

3. Add the fish. Reduce the heat to low so the poaching liquid is just under a simmer, with no bubbles breaking the surface. Cover and poach until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes. Check the fish closest to the bone for doneness. Remove the fish to a large platter and let cool. Remove the skeleton and any small bones, then cover and chill until ready to serve.

4. Cook the soba noodles in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and toss the noodles with the sesame oil. Cool the noodles, then add the sliced green onions and sesame seeds; toss. Cover and chill.

5. To make the ginger-soy sauce, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, minced green onion, ginger and garlic. Cover and chill.

6. To serve, arrange the noodles on a platter and place the chilled fish, skin side down, on top. Sprinkle the crumbled green tea leaves over the top of the fish. Serve the ginger-soy sauce on the side. Garnish with the strips of carrot.

Each serving: 379 calories; 22 grams protein; 39 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 16 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 47 mg. cholesterol; 1,021 mg. sodium.

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Mediterranean poached striped bass

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

2 tablespoons capers

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried Greek oregano

Salt, pepper to taste

17 cups water, divided

1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1 small onion, sliced

1 small lemon, cut into slices

3 sprigs parsley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch Swiss chard (about

1 pound)

1 whole striped bass (about

2 pounds), cleaned, head and tail on

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1. Spoon the capers onto paper towels, blotting the excess liquid. Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add the capers and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until capers become dry and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the capers from the pan and onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the same skillet over low heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute until light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Set the vinaigrette aside until it’s time to serve the fish.

3. Heat 16 cups of the water in a covered fish poacher or large roasting pan along with the carrot, onion, lemon, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, salt and 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer while you prepare the chard.

4. Remove the stems from the chard leaves and dice. Cut the chard leaves into 2-inch pieces. Heat the remaining 1 cup of the water in a medium saucepan to simmering. Add the diced chard stems; cover and cook until stems are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the cut-up leaves and continue to cook until the leaves are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

5. Toss the cooked chard with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the chard and keep it warm while preparing the fish.

6. Poach the bass in the just-simmering poaching liquid until the fish tests done around the backbone close to the neck, about 10 minutes.

7. Lift the fish out of the pan to a large tray. Remove the head from the fish. Remove the skin from the top side of the fish and pull out any fins and visible bones.

8. Spoon the chard onto a serving platter. Place the fish on the bed of chard. Sprinkle the fried capers over the top of the fish and spoon the vinaigrette over, then sprinkle with the chopped tomato and parsley.

Each serving: 249 calories; 19 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 77 mg. cholesterol; 417 mg. sodium.

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Poached sole with basil-garlic oil and Champagne vinaigrette

Total time: 45 minutes, plus chilling time, if desired

Servings: 4

Note: An assortment of colorful steamed vegetables and flavored rice would go well with this delicate fish, which may be served either warm or chilled. The basil-garlic oil will stay fresh, covered in the refrigerator, for a week.

Basil-garlic oil

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, cut in half

2 cups packed basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1. Place the canola oil, olive oil and garlic in a small skillet and gently heat on low for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse the oil for 15 minutes for a subtle garlic flavor, longer for a stronger flavor. Remove and discard the garlic.

2. Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Blanch the basil leaves in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and place in the ice water. Drain again and lay between sheets of paper towels; squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Place in a blender, along with the garlic-infused oil and salt. Puree until smooth.

3. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a covered container. Refrigerate until ready to use. Gently shake the container before each use.

Champagne vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar

Dash of salt

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Whisk the vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify.

Poaching and assembly

2 cups dry white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

1 garlic clove, sliced

10 parsley sprigs

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

4 large filets (2 pounds) petrale sole

1/4 cup basil-garlic oil, or to taste

Champagne vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh chervil leaves

1. Combine the white wine, chicken broth, lemon, garlic, parsley, salt and peppercorns in a fish poacher or large roasting pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Rinse the fish filets, place them in the hot liquid and poach for 5 minutes. Carefully lift them out with a spatula and place them on a platter. If serving chilled, cover and refrigerate.

2. Drizzle the basil-garlic oil on and around the fish. Drizzle the champagne vinaigrette over the basil oil. Garnish with chervil leaves.

Each of four servings: 396 calories; 38 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 106 mg. cholesterol; 491 mg. sodium.