Meet our new resident writer Marla Groves, an avid cook and REALTOR®. Marla lives in Kirkland with her husband, two kids and golden retriever, Toffee.

This just might be the most delicious and easy way to cook fish! It is a great main dish to serve at dinner parties, as well. If you are entertaining, you are free to enjoy talking with your guests as the fish poaches. My version of poached fish gets its rich flavor from minced garlic, a splash of white wine and some fresh herbs. The poaching liquid makes a great sauce as well. As the fish cooks, the poaching liquid reduces a bit, so the flavor intensifies and enhances the flavor of the fish. 

Serves: Four people

Ingredients:

2 lbs. or 900 g wild-caught, fresh, firm white fish, such as cod, halibut or sea bass

2 cloves garlic, minced

Small bunch of fresh herbs, such as dill, thyme, tarragon, rosemary or a mixture

3 tbsp. ghee or butter, preferably grass-fed, organic (ghee is clarified butter)

1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic 

1/4 - 1/3 cup avocado oil

Splash white wine

To taste sea salt

To taste freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, cut into 4 sections

Instructions:

Set a large sauté pan that has a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Remove the lid, and let the pan warm up a bit. Then add the ghee or butter. Once the ghee or butter has melted, add the garlic to the pan and sauté until the garlic is translucent, about two minutes. Add a splash of white wine to the pan and let it reduce a bit. As the wine reduces, gently stir the garlic in the pan. 

Season the filets of fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Carefully add the fish to the pan and immediately turn the heat to medium-low. Add the olive oil and avocado oil to the pan. You want the oil to reach about 1/4 of the way up the side of the fish filet. The fish does not need to be submerged in oil as it would be with water poaching. Add 1/2 of the bunch of fresh herbs to the pan and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the fish to cook in the oil and ghee mixture for approximately 15-25 minutes with the lid on. About halfway through the cooking process, remove the lid, carefully flip the fish filets and recover the pan with the lid. 

Chop the remaining 1/2 bunch of herbs and set aside for garnish. After about 15-25 minutes (15 minutes for a thinner piece of fish and 25 minutes for a thicker filet). Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid and gently transfer one filet to each plate. Carefully whisk the remaining poaching liquid in the pan, spoon some over each filet, and top with the remaining fresh herbs. Squeeze a section of fresh lemon over each filet. Serve with roasted broccoli recipe on any vegetable of your choice.