Published February 12, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Court bouillon is a classic way of gently cooking seafood in a well-seasoned broth, greatly enhancing the overall flavor. It is my favorite technique for cooking shellfish, and the best part is that it is straightforward.
Who doesn’t love deliciously cooked seafood? A court bouillon is one of the easiest ways to achieve some of the best-tasting food ever. Everyone who has had the opportunity to eat anything poached in is always blown away. Don’t believe me? Use it as the lobster cooking method in my tasty surf and turf recipe or as the cooking method in my shrimp cocktail.
Court Bouillon
Court Bouillon is a traditional fish and seafood poaching liquid flavored with vegetables, herbs, citrus, and sometimes butter and wine. This is hands down my favorite way to prepare things like lobster and mussels. Cooking in a court bouillon is a gentle preparation for making delicate food that is consistently delivered.
There is no other method I can think of that better season’s seafood than this technique. You will be blown away at how delicious the final product is. It doesn’t need butter, salt, or anything else. It’s that good. This is a technique I learned back in culinary school that I later perfected during my time in the restaurant industry. If you want to try it, use it as the cooking liquid for my mussels recipe or my cioppino.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Wine – Any dry white wine will work for this recipe, and I prefer a chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio. This will not only help flavor the food but also help tenderize it.
- Water – Any filtered or tap water can be used as the primary poaching liquid. I always like to go the extra mile; if you do too, you should substitute this with fish stock for a richer flavor.
- Onions – A white, yellow, red, or sweet onion can be used. In addition, shallots or leeks can also work well. For a little extra punch of flavor, I also like to add some garlic cloves, but it is optional.
- Vegetables – I would like to add the other traditional mirepoix ingredients of celery and carrots to help balance the flavors of the liquid but also infuse some of their delicate taste into whatever I’m poaching.
- Herbs – I believe fresh thyme and parsley are two of the most complimenting fresh herbs out there, and they are a must. Adding a bay leaf or two can also add some floral notes. Please feel free to substitute the fresh thyme for 1 teaspoon of dry. Dry dill would also be an option.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to be 100% in control the salt content and not a butter company. This will add so much richness to the liquid and enhance whatever is added to the court bouillon.
- Seasoning – I only used coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper as I believe you don’t want to mask the flavor of the lobster but rather compliment it.
How to Make a Court Bouillon
Add the Liquid: I pour the water and the wine into a medium to large-sized sauce pot. I love using the combination of parsley, thyme, and bay leaves for the biggest punch of flavor.
Citrus and butter: Next, I squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and then add the lemon halves to the pot. Now, I also add one stick of unsalted butter to the pot. If you want this to have even more butter flavor, then feel free to add another stick.
Add the Mirepoix: At this point, I add carrots, celery, and onions to help round out the flavors of the poaching liquid.
Season it well: I generously season the stock with coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper. Be sure to taste it. The broth should be incredibly flavorful.
Heat it: Add the pot to a burner and cook over low to medium heat to bring it to a simmer. The butter should be completely melted, and a few bubbles coming to the surface around the outside.
Cook the seafood: Whether you are cooking lobsters, mussels, or clams, add it to the court bouillon and gently simmer it until it is cooked.
Remove the seafood: Using a perforated spoon or spider strainer, remove the seafood, cool it, and serve it.
Chef Notes + Tips
I find that the secret to a delicious court bouillon is tasting it before adding anything to it. Whenever you have poaching stocks like this, they should be almost overly seasoned because you aren’t eating them. You are eating what was cooked in it. Because of that, the liquid is what seasons it. I can’t say it enough; Taste your food.
- Wine is optional: If you do not drink wine, I recommend skipping it as there is no good substitute.
- The pot is essential: I always make sure to choose a more bottomless pot so whatever it is I’m cooking, like lobster or shellfish, is wholly submerged throughout the entire cooking process.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This can be made up to two days ahead for freshness. You can either add everything into a container and store it or heat it before cooling and storing it.
How to Store: Cover it and store it in the refrigerator. Since some seafood will already be poached, the court bouillon will only last up to 2 days in the fridge. I recommend not freezing this.
How to Reheat: I add the desired amount of court bouillon to a medium-sized sauce pot and heat it over low to medium heat until it simmers.
More Stock Recipes
Court Bouillon Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 to 4 fresh parsley leaves and stems
- juice of 1 lemon, plus the sliced halves
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 thinly sliced carrot
- 1 thinly sliced rib of celery
- ½ roughly chopped yellow onion
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a medium to large-sized pot.
- Cook it over low to medium heat or until it is simmering and the butter is completely melted.
- Whether you cook lobsters, mussels, or clams, add it to the court bouillon and gently simmer it until it is cooked.
- Using a perforated spoon or spider strainer, remove the seafood, slightly cool it, and serve it.
Court Bouillon Recipe