Poached in a fragrant court bouillon, this succulent salmon is topped with a vibrant caper, herb and lemon vinaigrette.
Steps
1
Preparing the Court Bouillon
Ingredients
5 cups cold water
1 cup white wine
2 ribs celery
1 leek (white part only)
1 small onion
1 lemon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole peppercorns (white or black)
2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1 sprig fresh dill
1 sprig fresh parsley
To prepare the court bouillon, first add the cold water and wine to a 10" -inch sauce pan (approx. 3" -inches high). Slice the celery into 1/8" -inch slices. Cut the leek in half, wash and thinly slice just the white part. Dice the onion and add everything to the liquid. Cut the lemon and squeeze in the juice. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and salt and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid comes to a simmer, turn off the heat. Cover with a lid and let steep for about 30 minutes. Gather the dill and parsley and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
2
Making the Sauce
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp shallots
1 1/2 tbsp chives
1 1/2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp fresh dill
1/4 tsp garlic
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
To make the sauce, finely mince shallots. Thinly slice the chives. Finely chop the capers and dill. Mince the garlic and place everything into a bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
3
Preparing the Salmon
Ingredients
four 5 oz coho salmon filets
To prepare the salmon, remove the pin bones and skin if necessary.
4
Poaching the Salmon
Ingredients
kosher salt (to taste)
Once the court bouillon has steeped, taste it for seasoning. You will want the liquid to be a bit salty, as this will ultimately flavor and season the fish. At this point, you may want to remove some of the vegetables so you can easily submerge the fish into the liquid.
Bring the liquid to the proper poaching temperature (between 160-180º degrees Fahrenheit). Place the fish into the liquid, making sure every piece is completely submerged. Add the fresh dill and parsley. Allow the fish to gently cook within the poaching temperature range until it is done to your liking.
5
Serving the Dish
Once the salmon is done to your liking, remove from the liquid and place onto a cooling rack to drain.
Spoon some of the sauce over top and serve immediately with steamed rice for an incredibly healthy meal.
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I have a whole sockeye salmon that I thawed completely. I have limited groceries in the house and I was thinking...if I could just roll up the salmon in foil with some lemon dill beurre blank and bake it in the oven, It would save me a trip to the grocery store on a Sunday. Do you have any advice to help me make it work?
You could bake the salmon with lemon, dill and butter but if you are referring to a beurre blanc, I would not bake it with this sauce as it will split. It is better to serve the sauce over top once it is baked. Cheers!
I want to make salmon as a main dish for new year (jewish new year) but can't seem to find a salmon recipe that I can prepare in advance and heat.
is there someway to poach the salmon and reheat ? or do you have a different idea?
For the best results fish is ideally cooked and served immediately. Cooking fish ahead of time is generally never a good idea. Unless you are looking to serve it as a cold dish.
One of the good things about fish is that it does not take very long to cook. So, I say get yourself all prepped, make sure you have all of your mise en place ready and then cook the fish just before you are ready to eat.
That, or you could choose another protein/main dish to serve instead of fish. Cheers!
I've been looking at recipes to use at a staff Christmas Party. I have two large sides of spring salmon flash frozen and will be in perfect condition when I thaw it. The party is at a nearby clubhouse that has a kitchen with fridge, oven, stove. But, I'm thinking it would be best if I do the salmon at home and serve it cold because I'm in charge of a number of things for the party at the site. There will likely be 50 or more people. I've seen a recipe like this with a little bit of gin added to the poaching recipes. Any coaching? Should I take the skin off? Should I try to keep the side whole? If I do it in pieces, will I spoil it if the pieces are small? (It's a potluck.) What type of dressing would I make for it? I have a few pieces I can experiment with ahead of time. Would enjoy some tips and ideas. Thank you.
Janice
I think it's good idea to do this ahead if you have a number of other dishes to deal with.
As for poaching, I would poach it with the skin on so that it holds well together. Then chill. You can flavor the poaching liquid anyway you like but I'd stay pretty neutral (white wine, lemon, maybe some dill).
Then I'd make a little finishing vinaigrette to pour over it just before bringing to the table. Good luck.
I just finished making this with my new cookware. Good Stuff! Thanks Joe!
I have a question about poaching times. How do you judge doneness on a piece of salmon?
Thanks, Andrew
Whether you pan fry, poach, steam, broil, bake, grill, etc...the same key indicators to look for are the same when it comes to cooking fish (or any type of protein for that matter). Refer to the lessons in the Fish section (as well as the attached drill-downs to those lessons) as all of this will give you a good indication of what to look for and how to test fish for doneness. Cheers!
We let the salmon rest for a few minutes, but since it was a bit runny on the plate, my husband suggested that I finish it in the oven next time. What would you recommend?
Hi Mary- I'm not understanding your description of "runny" salmon. If it was wet and dripping water (after poaching), then you simply need to pat it dry with a clean towel before serving. If it was still not cooked inside, then you should simply poach it longer (i.e. leave it in the poaching liquid) until it's cooked to your liking.
Finishing it in the oven potentially negates the benefit of gentle poaching - so if you want poached fish, just time it right and make sure its cooked through before serving. ~Ken
Ken, The next time I will pat the salmon dry with paper towels before plating. Thank you for suggesting this as it was so delicious we saved the court bouillon to make a seafood risotto this weekend and plan to make the poached salmon recipe for guests in the future.
Yes absolutely, you may want to strain it first. You can let the stock defrost overnight in the fridge, or if in a rush just place the frozen stock in a pot, cover and melt on low heat, Always recommended to boil a frozen stock and taste it, just in case it has gone bad, very unlikely but one never knows.
I want to use this recipe for a prawn cocktail salad using 450 grams of prawns but I don't partake in alcohol and neither do my guests. How can I adapt this to suit that? Thank u.
Hi Amy. Thanks for the question! Court bouillon is a light, aromatic poaching liquid traditionally used for fish, seafood, and vegetables. While wine is often included, it's not essential, and you can simply substitute it with an equal amount of water. If you'd like to boost the acidity, feel free to add 1–2 extra tablespoons of lemon juice. The ratio of total court bouillon to your 450 grams of prawn works because it is deep poach method, and less 100 grams won't affect taste. Enjoy!
Dawn T •You can use any type of salmon. You could even use other meaty fish such as halibut for this dish. Cheers!
Suzanne C •I have a whole sockeye salmon that I thawed completely. I have limited groceries in the house and I was thinking...if I could just roll up the salmon in foil with some lemon dill beurre blank and bake it in the oven, It would save me a trip to the grocery store on a Sunday. Do you have any advice to help me make it work?
Kimberley S • Rouxbe Staff •You could bake the salmon with lemon, dill and butter but if you are referring to a beurre blanc, I would not bake it with this sauce as it will split. It is better to serve the sauce over top once it is baked. Cheers!
Joe G • Rouxbe Staff •I think it's good idea to do this ahead if you have a number of other dishes to deal with. As for poaching, I would poach it with the skin on so that it holds well together. Then chill. You can flavor the poaching liquid anyway you like but I'd stay pretty neutral (white wine, lemon, maybe some dill). Then I'd make a little finishing vinaigrette to pour over it just before bringing to the table. Good luck.
Andrew L •I just finished making this with my new cookware. Good Stuff! Thanks Joe! I have a question about poaching times. How do you judge doneness on a piece of salmon? Thanks, Andrew
Mary D •We let the salmon rest for a few minutes, but since it was a bit runny on the plate, my husband suggested that I finish it in the oven next time. What would you recommend?
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Mary- I'm not understanding your description of "runny" salmon. If it was wet and dripping water (after poaching), then you simply need to pat it dry with a clean towel before serving. If it was still not cooked inside, then you should simply poach it longer (i.e. leave it in the poaching liquid) until it's cooked to your liking. Finishing it in the oven potentially negates the benefit of gentle poaching - so if you want poached fish, just time it right and make sure its cooked through before serving. ~Ken
Christophe K • Rouxbe Staff •Yes absolutely, you may want to strain it first. You can let the stock defrost overnight in the fridge, or if in a rush just place the frozen stock in a pot, cover and melt on low heat, Always recommended to boil a frozen stock and taste it, just in case it has gone bad, very unlikely but one never knows.
Demetra S • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Amy. Thanks for the question! Court bouillon is a light, aromatic poaching liquid traditionally used for fish, seafood, and vegetables. While wine is often included, it's not essential, and you can simply substitute it with an equal amount of water. If you'd like to boost the acidity, feel free to add 1–2 extra tablespoons of lemon juice. The ratio of total court bouillon to your 450 grams of prawn works because it is deep poach method, and less 100 grams won't affect taste. Enjoy!