Poached Fish with Saffron Vermicelli

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fish fillets
• skinned
• Salt
• 10 ounces dry vermicelli
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or powdered saffron
• 45 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Instructions

1. Poach the fish in barely simmering (not boiling) salted water for 510 minutes, until the flesh looks opaque when you cut into it.
2. At the same time, break the vermicelli in your hand into small pieces and cook in about 5 cups of boiling salted water with the saffron until just tender, stirring vigorously so that the vermicelli do not stick together.
3. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the saffron water to use as a sauce.
4. (Keep the remainder if you likethere is very little leftto pour into a soup or a stew.)
5. Beat the olive oil into the water, season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley or cilantro.
6. Serve the fish on a bed of vermicelli, with the sauce poured over.