A VERY EASY WAY TO PREPARE FISH. It requires only one stovetop pan (plus a pot for preparing rice). Because the fish and vegetables are poached/steamed, there's zero odor and the cleanup is quick. Be careful when adding salt—the chicken stock may give you all the sodium you want! If you don't have asparagus, substitute green beans or pea pods and adjust the cooking time as needed.
Lemon zest. Scrape the yellow skin (zest) from a lemon with a zester. No zester? Use a coarse file or scrape the skin with a sharp knife.
Fish. Select a low-fat fish such as orange roughy, cod, flounder, haddock, or snapper. Remove pinbones and skin; then cut into serving-size portions. Poaching time depends on type of fish and the thickness of the fillet. Thus the poaching times given below are approximate—check for doneness early. The fish is ready to remove when it flakes easily and the center is still slightly translucent (it continues to cook to doneness). Avoid overcooking or the fish will be rubbery.
Asparagus. Hold the ends of fresh asparagus stems with both hands and bend until the stem breaks. The break separates the tender part from the woody section. Cut the tender part into bite-size pieces.
Sweet bell peppers. Use yellow or orange sweet peppers. Remove stems, cores, seeds, and white ribs; then slice peppers into 1/4" strips and cut the strips into bite-size pieces.
