Poached Salmon I Food

SIMPLE POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• In a large, deep, straight-sided skillet or heavy pot, combine carrots, celery, onion, lemon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 8 minutes.
• Season salmon with salt and gently lower into simmering liquid (liquid should just cover fish). Reduce to a very gentle simmer. Cover and cook until salmon is opaque throughout, about 5 minutes (longer for thicker fillets). Using a wide slotted spatula, remove salmon from liquid.

POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• Put water in a poaching dish or pan -- add enough to partially cover the salmon.
• Add lemon juice, black peppercorns, and salt, then mix.
• Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and add salmon.
• Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove salmon and drain.

POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• Combine the stock, wine, thyme, garlic, shallot and lemon zest in a wide, deep pan and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Partially cover and simmer until the salmon is fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Serve with an arugula salad, lemon slices and olive oil drizzled on top.

TRADITIONAL POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon fillets and season with some sea salt and white pepper. Set aside.
• Fill a high-sided large skillet one-third of the way up with water. Add the wine and lemon halves. Bring to a low simmer, add the salmon and let cook until firm to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes for medium. For well-done salmon, cook for 10 minutes.
• Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and parsley.

POACHED SALMON IN ASPIC

Steps:

• Poach salmon:
• Wash salmon inside and out and sprinkle inside with salt. Unfold 1 piece of cheesecloth on top of the other to make a double layer, then wrap fish snugly in it and tie ends (close to fish) with kitchen string. Place on poacher rack in poacher, then straddle poacher across 2 burners on stovetop. Add 6 quarts cold water (it should cover fish by 1 inch), lemon juice, vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns.
• Bring to a boil, partially covered, over high heat (this will take about 25 minutes; fish will register 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of fish). Transfer poacher to a metal rack and cool fish in broth, uncovered, 30 minutes. Then chill fish in poacher (do not pour off broth), uncovered, at least 8 hours.
• Reduce broth for aspic:
• Lift fish on poacher rack out of broth and drain well, then transfer from rack to a large shallow baking pan and chill. Pour broth through a sieve into a large bowl. Transfer 8 cups broth to a 4-quart heavy pot, reserving remainder for another use. Add white wine, Madeira, thyme sprig, and salt and boil until reduced to 5 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.
• Prepare salmon for glazing:
• Wash reserved leek leaves and chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Cut leaves into decorative strips. Blanch strips in a saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water. Drain and pat dry.
• Remove strings from cheesecloth, then open cheesecloth but don't remove it. Remove fatty strip and small bones (they look like a comb) from spine of fish from head to tail. Trim off any fat from edges of belly. Carefully remove bony section under gills, then remove skin and dark flesh from visible side (top) of fish by gently scraping with a small sharp knife. Using the cheesecloth, roll fish over onto platter and remove bony section under gills, then remove skin and dark flesh from other side of fish. Wipe platter clean, then cover fish with dampened paper towels and chill until aspic is ready.
• Clarify broth (using egg whites and shells) and make aspic:
• Whisk together reduced broth, chopped leek, carrot, celery, and egg whites and shells in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, undisturbed, over low heat 30 minutes. Ladle broth through sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened paper towels set over a 1-quart glass measure, then press firmly on solids.
• Soften gelatin in cold water in a 1-quart saucepan 1 minute. Add 3 cups broth and simmer, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
• Glaze salmon with aspic:
• Ladle 2/3 cup aspic into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, just until aspic is the consistency of raw egg white. Remove bowl from ice water and spoon a thin layer of aspic over fish, then chill fish until aspic is set, about 10 minutes. Arrange leek garnish on fish and glaze fish with more aspic. Chill fish, uncovered, until ready to serve.
• Pour remaining aspic into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, then arrange cubes around salmon.

FOIL-POACHED SALMON WITH HERBY MAYO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Place a large piece of double-width foil on top of a large baking sheet and brush it with oil, then put the salmon in the centre. Tuck a few generous sprigs of dill and the shallots in the body cavity, then season.
• Carefully bring up the sides of the foil to surround the fish, season well inside and out, then pour over the wine.
• Seal the foil all the way round, but not too tightly on the fish - you need to give it a bit of space within the parcel. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins.
• Once the salmon has cooked, carefully unwrap the foil parcel and pull the dorsal fin on the spine of the fish. If the salmon is ready, it should come away very easily. Reseal the parcel and leave to cool - it will carry on cooking a little more as it cools. If you are not sure that the salmon is cooked sufficiently, return it to the oven for 10 mins more.
• When cold, carefully peel away the skin from one side of the salmon. You may need to use a knife to get you started, but it should peel away easily after that. Leave the cooked dill and shallot in place, as you may damage the flesh of the salmon if you try to remove them.
• Use a knife to scrape off the brown fatty flesh. It tastes delicious but doesn't look as attractive as the pink flesh underneath. Carefully turn the salmon over onto a platter and remove the skin and brown flesh from the other side.
• To serve, carefully remove the fillets from one side of the fish, leaving behind the bones. You will see that the fish has a natural divide of 2 long fillets on each side. Insert your knife along the centre and carefully ease off each fillet. Transfer the fillets to a platter, bone-side up.
• Lift up the central bone from the remaining whole fish - it should come away in one piece - and remove the aromatics. Ease the 2 remaining fillets apart and remove any pin bones. Reassemble the salmon on the platter. Stir the herbs into your mayonnaise and garnish the salmon with watercress, cucumber, herbs and lemon.