10-minute, insanely EASY poached fish recipe! Enjoy restaurant-quality fish at home, perfectly tender and finished with an Asian soy glaze. Simple yet delicious!
About this Chinese Poached Fish Recipe
I grew up in a coastal city in China, where fish was a regular part of our meals. With years of experience cooking fish, I’ve learned how delicate it is—just a couple of minutes can turn the fish from tender to tough.
It’s often challenging for home cooks to master the skill, as fish can vary in thickness and texture. Perfecting the cooking time can take years of practice.
Using the poaching method makes all of this possible. The water is heated just enough to kill bacteria and bring the fish to the perfect temperature. Poaching in the hot water gently cooks the fish, making it exceptionally tender.
The best part is that you can hardly go wrong with this method.
The soy glaze combines the best Asian flavours—spring onion, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. So delicious!
It’s how easy a home-cooked dish should be. Let’s get started! 🧑🍳
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fish: You can use any type of fish for this recipe, whether whole or filleted. Adjust the poaching time based on the fish’s thickness. A medium-sized fish (around 20 cm long) takes about 8 minutes, while a 3 cm thick fillet needs around 6 minutes. To check if it’s cooked, insert a fork or chopstick—if it slides through easily, the fish is done.
- Oil: This recipe uses a generous amount of oil. If you’re concerned, opt for a healthier choice, like olive oil.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe; using a high-quality one makes a big difference. I usually prefer Lee Kum Kee soy sauce, which is easily available in supermarkets or online.
- Sugar: I add a small amount of sugar to balance the soy sauce, but you can use honey, a sweet substitute, or skip it altogether.
- Sesame Seeds: Sesame seeds not only add a nutty flavour to the dish, but I also use them as an oil temperature indicator. When they turn light brown, the oil is usually at the right temperature.
Instructions for Poached Fish with Asian Soy Glaze
Step One: Making the Soy Glaze
• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water, then mix well.
• In a small saucepan, add one tablespoon of oil, spring onion, ginger, and garlic over medium heat, and cook until all ingredients turn lightly brown.
• Add the sauce mixture. Turn the heat to low to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Drain the soy glaze and set it aside.
Step Two: Poaching the Fish
• In a medium saucepan, add water to fill the pan (the water should be about 5-10 cm above the fish). Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Turn the heat down to low to medium, add the fish fillets to the boiling water, and cook for one minute.
• Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the fish poach for 5-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
• Use a chopstick or fork to test if the fish is cooked through before removing it from the water.
Step Three: Assembling Everything Together
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and sesame seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sesame seeds turn light brown.
• Place the finely chopped spring onions on top of the fish, then pour the hot oil over it.
• Add the soy glaze to the fish.
Cooking Tips
- Fish: The most important thing is that the fish needs to be as fresh as possible. No amount of sauce or cooking skills can save fish that isn’t fresh. Look for a shiny appearance on the fish’s skin or meat.
- Timer: Since timing is crucial in this recipe, I found that using a timer is very helpful in achieving the best results.
- Minimal handling: Don’t move the fish too much, or it’ll break apart. Use a large spoon to lift them out of water, especially with delicate fish like cod—it can fall apart easily once cooked.
- Safety: Sprinkling hot oil over the fish adds great flavour but keeps kids away while handling it. Always be cautious when working with hot oil.
I love drizzling the sauce over rice—it makes it taste amazing.
So yummy! No need to go to a restaurant for great fish—you can easily make it at home! 👨🍳 😍
Poached Fish with Soy Glaze
Ingredients
- 400 g fish fillets
- 5 tablespoon Oil
- 1 spring onion (some chopped into 5cm lengths for the soy glaze and the rest finely chopped to sprinkle on top of the fish)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Making the Soy Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and 1/4 cup of water, then mix well.
- In a small saucepan, add one tablespoon of oil, spring onion, ginger, and garlic over medium heat, and cook until all ingredients turn lightly brown. Add the sauce mixture. Turn the heat to low to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Drain the soy glaze and set it aside.
Poaching the Fish
- In a medium saucepan, add water to fill the pan (the water should be about 5-10 cm above the fish). Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Turn the heat down to low to medium, add the fish fillets to the boiling water, and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the fish poach for 5-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
Assembling Everything Together
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and sesame seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sesame seeds turn light brown. Place the finely chopped spring onions on top of the fish, then pour the hot oil over it.
- Add the soy glaze to the fish.
Recipe Notes:
- Fish: The most important thing is that the fish needs to be as fresh as possible. Look for a shiny appearance on the fish’s skin or meat. You can use any type of fish for this recipe, whether whole or filleted. Adjust the poaching time based on the fish’s thickness. A medium-sized fish (around 20 cm long) takes about 8 minutes, while a 3 cm thick fillet needs around 6 minutes. To check if it’s cooked, insert a fork or chopstick—if it slides through easily, the fish is done.
- Oil: This recipe uses a generous amount of oil. If you’re concerned, opt for a healthier choice, like olive oil.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe; using a high-quality one makes a big difference. I usually prefer Lee Kum Kee soy sauce, which is easily available in supermarkets or online.
- Sugar: I add a small amount of sugar to balance the soy sauce, but you can use honey, a sweet substitute, or skip it altogether.
- Sesame Seeds: Sesame seeds not only add a nutty flavour to the dish, but I also use them as an oil temperature indicator. When they turn light brown, the oil is usually at the right temperature.
- Timer: Since timing is crucial in this recipe, I found that using a timer is very helpful in achieving the best results.
- Minimal handling: Don’t move the fish too much, or it’ll break apart. Use a large spoon to lift them out of water, especially with delicate fish like cod—it can fall apart easily once cooked.
- Safety: Sprinkling hot oil over the fish adds great flavour but keeps kids away while handling it. Always be cautious when working with hot oil.
Nutrition Information:
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