Poached fish with okra recipe

I have been wanting to share with you this poached fish with okra recipe for months now, and I am so glad that the day is finally here! Months ago, I ate a delicious okra soup at a friend’s house. I was definitely inspired by it to make this recipe.

This recipe is so light, healthy and well balanced that your palette is delighted at each spoon. 

I know some of you might be reluctant about okra and its reputation of being too gooey. However, by blanching it, you reduce its viscosity. Okra has a mild grassy flavor that combines beautifully with fish. This is a very healthy recipe, as okra is full of vitamins and nutrients, while sea bass is an excellent source of lean protein. 

Okra stabilizes cholesterol levels, fortifies bones and prevents excessive bleeding among other things. To learn more about okra’s health benefits, click here. 

Here I have cooked them to perfection by slowly poaching in a fish stock. If you are vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you can have this okra (without the fish) with lituma as a side dish.  It is a great vegan recipe that makes full use of the Okra’s nutritional value.

There are three main components for this recipe: broth, fish, okra. We will learn about two different cooking techniques used in this recipe that are easy to execute and that can be applied on any food. These cooking techniques are tools to help you get more creative in the kitchen. Just remember that a few mistakes can be good teachers. 🙂

What type of broth did I use?

I used a homemade fish broth. You can certainly use one from the store in this recipe. I like to make my own broth since I can control what goes in it. The broth is the base of this dish. Make sure you pick a good one. You can always add spices to your store bought broth if you want a particular spice to be highlighted. You can find my broth recipe below.

What type of fish to use?

Any fish that has white flesh and not too many bones is ideal. I like to get my fish from the fish market and ask them for a chunky cut that is at least one inch thick. This is particularly for presentation purposes. However, you can get any cut you want. I used sea bass on this one. I strongly suggest using fresh fish instead of frozen fish. For this presentation, I suggest no skin on the fish since it might not look appealing once poached.

Why type of okra to use?

I suggest using young okra since they are softer and take less time to cook. If you don’t have young okras, just make sure to add three to four minutes  to your cooking time. There are different types of okras. It doesn’t matter where they are from as long as they are young ones.

What cooking techniques were used in this recipe?

The first technique used was blanching the okra. Blanching is a process of cooking fruits or vegetables in boiling water for a short period of time and then submerging the ingredients in icy water to stop the cooking process. This will help preserve the color of the vegetable and its firmness. The okra is cooked in the boiling water for 5-7 min then drained, and finally immersed in icy water right after.

The second technique used is poaching the fish. The fish is fully submerged in the warm liquid (stock, water, wine, etc) for a short period of time. The liquid will infuse all of its flavors into the fish and also help prevent it from falling apart. Poaching allows the proteins to denature without pulling too much (if any at all) moisture out of the food. The fish should be in the liquid no more than 7 min.

There are a few things to remember about poaching. The liquid should be warm but not boiling hot. You will know the liquid is the right temperature if you see small bubbles coming from the bottom of your saucepan where the fish is submerged. Make sure you have enough liquid to keep it covered throughout the cooking process and add more if necessary. If you don’t have enough liquid, your food might fall apart or be undercooked.

How to poach a fish?

Heat up  your stock on medium heat on the stove with the green onions, garlic, onions, green pepper. Once heated, turn down the heat to low, add the fish and  let it simmer for 6 min.

Remove the fish and put it aside to prevent it from breaking apart.

Let the stock simmer for 3 more min. Turn off the stove.

I like to serve it with lituma (mashed plantains). It also goes very well with pounded yam or fufu. This recipe is always a hit with at dinner’s parties. I guarantee it!

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