A fish remove was a course in a French haute cuisine meal served à la Française. It was called a "remove" (or relevé in French), because it replaced a course on the table.
Typically, a fish remove would occur after the soup course, and before the main roast or entrée.
Dubois (1870) wrote that:
Fish removes are necessary, and indispensable, at luxurious dinners: their bold forms please, and the rich trimmings which surround them excite the palate of the epicure, for even in their plain simplicity they are attractive.
Fish removes must always be served very hot,and also as soon as they are cooked. Fish which remain in liquid are soon spoiled, and lose their good qualities.
The ways of cooking the large removes are not numerous; a large fish must either be boiled or braised, that is, cooked in short moisture; in the first instance, they are served in the same way as they are cooked, that is to say, quite plain. Boiled fish ought to have but one garnish, that is, peeled potatoes, steamed,and served very hot. The potatoe is the natural companion of the fish, and especially when the fish is boiled, and in this case should never be separated from it."