This fragrant poaching liquid is a French kitchen staple, built from a handful of fresh vegetables, herbs, and a splash of white wine that together create something genuinely aromatic and beautiful. The combination of carrots, celery, onion, lemon, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves simmers into a lightly golden broth that smells incredible and does serious work when it comes to flavoring delicate proteins like fish or shellfish. For anyone managing a nickel sensitivity, this kind of recipe is a quiet win — every ingredient here is naturally low in nickel, so you get a deeply flavored cooking liquid without the worry that often comes with legumes, whole grains, or nuts that sneak into other foundational recipes. The technique is straightforward: everything goes into one pot, simmers uncovered for thirty minutes, and then gets strained into a clean, ready-to-use liquid. It's the kind of base that makes everything you cook in it taste more intentional and refined. Make a batch on the weekend and keep it in the fridge for a few days or stash it in the freezer so you always have it on hand — your weeknight fish dinners will never be the same.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →4 servings
Combine the water, white wine, and white wine vinegar in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, lemon slices, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, black peppercorns, fennel seeds (if using), and kosher salt.
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!
(16k)
