Court bouillon — “short broth” in French — is the fifteen-minute poaching liquid that professional kitchens use for fish, shellfish, and delicate vegetables. Water, white wine, aromatics, lemon, and peppercorns, simmered briefly and then put straight to work. It is not a stock; there are no bones and no hours of simmering. It exists to gently season whatever you poach in it, and once you keep it in your repertoire, poached salmon, shrimp, and lobster stop being restaurant food and become Tuesday food.
What Goes In and Why
Cold water and a cup of white wine form the base — the wine’s acidity firms the surface of fish so it holds together while poaching. Celery, leek, and onion bring the sweet aromatic backbone; the leek especially deserves a thorough wash, halved and rinsed under running water, because one gritty leek ruins a clean broth. Lemon, squeezed and dropped in hull and all, doubles down on the acidity. Bay leaves, black peppercorns, kosher salt, and a little bundle of parsley tied with twine round it out — the twine trick means you can lift the herbs out cleanly rather than chasing leaves through the pot.
The Method: Boil, Then Barely Simmer
Everything goes into the pot together. Bring it to a boil, then drop it to a simmer for about 30 minutes to marry the flavors. From that point on, your court bouillon should never boil again — poaching happens between 160°F and 180°F, where the liquid shivers rather than bubbles. A boil tears delicate fish apart; a shiver cooks it into silk.
How to Use It
Slide in salmon fillets and poach 8–10 minutes for perfect, moist fish. Shrimp take 2–3 minutes; whole lobster about 8 per pound. The same liquid poaches chicken breasts beautifully. Poached and chilled seafood is the foundation of composed dishes like my citrus lobster and crab tian — this is exactly the broth to cook that lobster in.
Strain the used broth and it will hold 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months frozen. You can reuse it for one more round of poaching, and each pass leaves it more flavorful — at which point it makes a superb base for a quick seafood soup.
Chef’s Tips
Season the broth more assertively than tastes right on its own — the food only borrows flavor from a brief swim, so the liquid needs to overdeliver. Start fish in warm (not hot) broth for the most even cooking. And do not skip the wine; if you must, substitute a half cup of white wine vinegar diluted with water to keep the acidity.
FAQ
Court bouillon vs. stock — what’s the difference?
Stock is built on bones and simmered for hours to extract gelatin and body; it is an ingredient. Court bouillon is quick, light, vegetable-and-wine based, and it is a cooking medium — you poach in it, you do not build sauces on it.
Can I poach in it straight away, without the 30-minute simmer?
Give it at least 15 minutes — the aromatics need time to open up before they have anything to give your fish.
What white wine should I use?
Anything dry and unoaked that you would drink — sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio. Skip “cooking wine,” which is salted and harsh.
Recipe Card
Classic Court Bouillon
Equipment
- (Help support our site!)Stock Pot
- (Help support our site!)Knife
- (Help support our site!)Cutting Board
- Twine
Ingredients
- 5 cup Cold Water
- 1 cup White Wine
- 2 stalk Celery
- 1 stalk Leek white bottom only
- 1 whole Onion rough chop
- 1 whole Lemon cut in half
- 2 whole Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 sprig Curly Parsley
Instructions
- Place cold water in sauce pot with white wine and place on stove.
- Slice celery in 1/4 slices place in sauce pot.
- Cut leek in half and wash thoroughly in water. Then rough chop place in sauce pot.
- Dice the onion add to a sauce pot.
- Cut the lemon in half, squeeze, and add into sauce pot along with bay leaves, black peppercorns and kosher salt.
- Wrap parsley in twine and place in sauce pot.
- Bring sauce pot to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. then your poaching liquid is ready for use.