Cold Poached Salmon

Super easy to make, this summertime treat is simple enough to be weeknight dinner you grab from the fridge, elegant enough to be the centerpiece of a dinner party and portable enough to be the star of a picnic or potluck. We love to serve it with our favorite dill sauce.

We’re not fans of farmed salmon; this is best using whatever wild salmon looks great and is affordable (whether fresh or fresh from frozen); coho, for instance. This recipe is for an entire side of salmon (one whole fillet), but you can follow the same instructions to poach just a piece of one, or several individual portions — the poaching liquid is just salted water, and the cooking time is about the same. (If you’re using a flatter single piece or pieces, poach for 8 or 9 minutes rather than 10.) Have the fishmonger remove the salmon’s pin bones, if you can. Otherwise, run your finger over the fillet before cooking, find the bones, and pull them out with tweezers or your nimble fingers before you poach.

If you have a fish poacher, great — use that. We don’t; instead we use a roasting pan when we poach a whole side; a sheet pan plopped on top serves as a cover. If you’re poaching individual portions, a skillet will do the trick; just make sure it’s deep enough that you can cover the salmon with water.

Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients

1 side of salmon (full fillet), about 2 - 2 1/4 pounds (1 kilogram), or individually portioned fillets

Sea salt

I lemon, sliced thin, for garnish (optional)