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 kilo, or individually portioned fillets
Sea salt
I lemon, sliced thin, for garnish (optional)
Dill sprigs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. Sprinkle salt over the flesh-side of the salmon, and let it sit while you boil the water.
2. Find a vessel large enough to hold the fish comfortably. Fill it with enough water so you’ll be able to completely submerge the fish. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and add a generous amount of salt; you’ll want the water to taste like the sea. Gently submerge the fish into the water, skin side down. (For a whole fillet, using a large spatula may make it easier.) Adjust the heat so that the water is gently bubbling. Cover the pot, and poach for 10 minutes (or a minute or two less, if you’re using relatively flat individual portions).
3. Gently lift the fish out of the poaching liquid and transfer to a sheet pan. Cover the fish with plastic film, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving platter, decorate with lemon slices and dill, if desired, and serve with dill sauce, if you like.
Cold Poached Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 side of salmon (full fillet), about 2 - 2 1/4 pounds / 1 kilo, or individually portioned fillets
- Sea salt
- I lemon, sliced thin, for garnish (optional)
- Dill sprigs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Sprinkle some salt over the flesh-side of the salmon, and let it sit while you boil the water.
- Find a vessel large enough to hold the fish comfortably. Fill it with enough water so you’ll be able to completely submerge the fish. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and add a generous amount of salt; you’ll want the water to taste like the sea. Gently submerge the fish into the water, skin side down. (For a whole fillet, using a large spatula may make it easier.) Adjust the heat so that the water is gently bubbling. Cover the pot, and poach for 10 minutes (or a minute or two less, if you’re using relatively flat individual portions).
- Gently lift the fish out of the poaching liquid and transfer to a sheet pan. Cover the fish with plastic film, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving platter, decorate with lemon slices and dill, if desired, and serve with dill sauce, if you like.