Serves 6 or More
1 whole salmon, striped bass, sea bass, or grouper, weighing about 5 lbs, scaled if necessary, cleaned and trimmed
Green Mayonnaise (see recipe)
COURT BOUILLON
2 cups dry white wine
about 3 quarts water
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
a few parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
4 allspice berries (optional)
salt
Combine all the ingredients for the court bouillon in a fish poacher or in a large roasting pan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Place the fish on the poacher rack, or set it on a piece of cheesecloth. Lower the fish into the court bouillon. The fish should be covered with liquid, so add more water if necessary.
Cover and bring back to boiling point, then simmer very gently until the fish is just cooked, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the poacher from the heat and lift the fish, by means of the rack or cheesecloth hammock, out of the court bouillon. Drain well, then transfer it to a serving platter and let cool slightly.
Gently peel off the skin and pull out the fins. If salmon has been used, gently scrape off the thin layer of grayish flesh. Let cool completely.
Serve the cooled fish with green Mayonnaise.