A fillet of Salmon poaches in about 7 minutes. You should invest in an oblong fish poacher if you want to cook a long salmon fillet as shown.
POACHED SALMON
There are few things as beautiful to see on a dinner table than poached salmon – a clean tasting, light meal. There’s only one rule, don’t overcook the fish!
First Prepare the Court Bouillon Poaching Liquid
Ingredients for the Court Bouillon (combine them in your fish poacher).
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 stalk of celery, peeled and sliced to be 1/4-inch thick
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoons of dried fennel
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons coarse ground sea salt
water to fill the poacher, leaving room for the fish
Preparation
Bring the Court Bouillon mix to a boil.
Keep a good simmer going (with no lid) for 30 minutes, creating a flavorful Court Bouillon poaching liquid.
Stir liquid.
Poaching the Salmon:
Rinse off your fillet and pat it dry with paper towels
Leave the skin on the back of the fillet.
With your Court Bouillon gently boiling in your fish poacher, slowly lower your Salmon, on its tray, into simmering liquid. The liquid should just cover the fish, add more boiling water if need to cover (pour water in at the top or bottom of the fish, not over the fish).
Reduce the heat to a very gentle boil, then place the lid on the poacher.
Cook the salmon until it is opaque with a slightly uncooked center, depending on the thickness of the fillet, about 6 to 8 minutes (tops) with the lid on. Remove the salmon from the poaching liquid using its lifting tray. Check the salmon for doneness at this time, by slicing into the thickest part, to view the interior. The fish will continue to cook for the next 10 minutes or so it’s better to have some uncooked pink in the center than a dry overcooked fish. If absolutely needed, put the fish back in liquid, for a minute or so to cook to your desired doneness.
Remove poached Salmon from the liquid using the tray.
With two wide slotted fish spatulas, transfer the fillet to a large serving platter.
Garnish the salmon with some paprika, lemon slices and a limited amount of green, fennel fronds or capers.
(Source: Photos and recipe comes from Louisiana North and South Family Cookbook)
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