Elegantly Simple Poached Wild Salmon

Have you ever ordered an amazing poached wild salmon in a restaurant and wished you could recreate it at home? Well, you can. Don’t be intimidated by the poaching process, because it’s relatively easy, as long as you buy a cheesecloth. You can make this elegant, simple and delicious meal on your own. Just try it!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 3 ounces
Volume: 1 pound
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 (7″) stalk celery, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 (5 1/2″ carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2″ slices
3 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh dill
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 pound fresh wild salmon steak, 1″ thick (raw weight 14-16 ounces to yield 3-ounce servings; approximately 12 ounces cooked)

Directions
In a large saucepan, bring the onions, celery, carrots, peppercorns, bay leaf, dill, vinegar, and water to a boil. In the meantime, wrap the wild salmon steak in a couple of layers of damp cheesecloth. When the mixture boils, reduce heat to simmer. With a spatula, lower the wild salmon into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the wild salmon flakes easily when pierced with a fork.

Carefully remove the wild salmon from the broth and discard the broth. Unwrap the wild salmon and remove the skin around the it with a sharp paring knife. Cut the wild salmon into 3-ounce portions and serve 2 portions hot. Refrigerate the remaining wild salmon.

Why We Love It
Poaching wild salmon with just a few fresh spices and white wine vinegar really brings out the true flavor of the fish while undercutting both the fishy smell and taste. As long as you have a nice cut of fish, this is a truly elegant and versatile dish that you can prepare for any dinner or for a special occasion. There are many side dishes that work well with this too.