I’ve always thought of poached salmon as something elegant that’s served at fancy restaurants or dinner parties. That is until I realized just how easy it is to make it at home! This low and slow cooking method is perfect for fish as it makes sure it doesn’t dry out. This recipe uses the deep poaching technique, which means that the salmon will be fully submerged in the liquid. The base for the poaching liquid is water to which you will add some vegetables, herbs, and seasoning. I also add some white wine for the flavor, and it also lowers the boiling temperature of the liquid to allow for a nice simmer.
Why You’ll Love This Poached Salmon Recipe
What is Poaching?
Poaching is a gentle cooking technique that uses moist heat to cook food at a low temperature. The food is submerged in some kind of liquid that also gives flavor as it cooks. Usually, poaching works really well with more delicate proteins such as fish and eggs. It also works great with fruit such as pears.
What is Poaching Liquid?
The poaching liquid is what you’ll use to slowly cook your food. It’s often water or stock-based with other aromatics thrown in for subtle flavor. You’ll also often find liquid poaching recipes that call for wine. It adds great flavor to the liquid, but if you’d prefer to leave it out, that’s totally ok!
The Benefits of Poaching
Because poaching uses a low and slow moist-heat cooking method, it’s the perfect way to ensure your fish doesn’t dry out. The flavoring of the poaching liquid also adds subtle flavor to your fish which is perfect for its delicate taste.
Ingredients In Recipe
Here’s what you need to make delicious poached salmon in minutes. Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Salmon fillets: Look for center cut fillets with the skin on. Center cut works best because the pieces have more of a uniform thickness and cook at the same rate. If possible, you can look for a large half side of salmon and cut it yourself. This way you know that all of the slices are coming from the same fish and you can cut them to roughly the same size. Keeping the skin on helps the fish hold together while simmering in the poaching liquid.Liquid: Dry white wine and water. Sometimes you may find recipes that use milk for poaching. This isn’t one of them! I much prefer wine and water. I mean, sipping on a glass of milk while you cook just isn’t the same! Vegetables: Onion, carrot, and celery. This is a classic combination that is often used to add flavor to stocks and soups, also known as mirepoix.Herbs and seasonings: I use whole peppercorns, salt, sugar, bay leaf, and fresh dill. Dill goes exceptionally well with salmon.Lemon slices: Lemon pairs so nicely with all fish and also the flavor of the dill.
How To Make Perfect Poached Salmon
Follow this step-by-step guide to poach the perfect salmon. It’s actually pretty fun!
Recipe Tips
These helpful tips will help to ensure your poached salmon turns out just the way you want it!
Storing Tips
You can safely store cooked salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Poached salmon is delicious when served cold, and when broken into pieces it makes a great salad topper for a healthy lunch or light dinner. You can also reheat it. You might be worried about drying the salmon out, but if you warm it slowly at a low temperature, you shouldn’t have any problems! Place the salmon on a rimmed baking sheet and gently heat in a 275°F/135°C oven for about 15 minutes.
What To Serve With
There are so many options to choose from when thinking of side dishes to serve along with your poached salmon. Here are some of my favorites:
Vegetables – roasted broccolini, green beans.Salad – green salad, kale salad.Rice – cilantro lime rice, mushroom rice.Pasta – pasta with peas, creamy lemon pasta.You can also use poached salmon in place of canned tuna fish in recipes like Niçoise Salad and Tuna Pasta Salad.
Now that you’ve become an expert at preparing delicious poached salmon, save and share this recipe with others so that they can have fun learning this new technique! Let me know in the comments how yours turned out! © Little Sunny Kitchen
