Poached Salmon

Salmon

Back in the mid 1800s when seasonal availability determined what people ate, salmon and peas were traditional Fourth of July fare in New England. Boiled new potatoes and strawberry shortcake would round out the menu. Today, year-round availability of salmon means you don’t have to wait a year to eat it. You might even be able to find strawberries and peas, although you might have to settle for the frozen varieties, and red potatoes will easily substitute for new ones.

 

For the salmon you can use either steaks, which are cut crosswise, or fillets, which are lengthwise sections. The advantage to using the fillets, especially when they are cut from the tail end, is that there will be almost no bones to dodge. Serve this simply with lemon wedges or if you have a couple of minutes to spare, make up some Horseradish Sauce.

 

SERVES 4

 

Ingredients: 

1½ pounds salmon fillet or steaks; either in one piece or cut into individual portions

 

FOR THE POACHING LIQUID:

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon tarragon

½ teaspoon rosemary

1 bay leaf

5 black peppercorns

2 slices of lemon

¼ cup white wine (optional)

 

FOR THE HORSERADISH SAUCE:

1 ½ tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise

1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of cayenne pepper

 

. . . . . . . .

 

Instructions:

▪ Mix together ingredients for the horseradish sauce. 

 

▪In a pan large enough to hold the salmon, add water to a depth of about 2 inches. Add the ingredients for the poaching liquid and cover and simmer gently for 15 to 30 minutes. Some liquid will evaporate, but you want to maintain enough depth to cover the salmon so check during the cooking and add more water if necessary.

 

▪ Add the salmon, cover the pan, and continue to simmer gently until it is done. This will take about 15 minutes and the salmon will have turned opaque light pink all over and throughout. You can make a small cut into it to check for doneness.