Poached Salmon Fillets or Steaks

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

Introduction

Luckily for the beginning cook, poaching is the most foolproof (pardon the term!) method we can think of to cook fish. Poaching—cooking in simmering liquid—affords a moist cooking environment, requires no special equipment, and makes timing fairly predictable. If you are afflicted with Fear of Fish Cooking, gentle reader, start with poaching. It really isn’t difficult, as you’ll see. For information on the proper pans and other tips, see Cook’s Notes. Poached salmon marries beautifully with simple steamed or boiled potatoes and a green vegetable. Cooled, it makes superb salad material.

Ingredients

	4	fresh salmon steaks or fillets (4 to 8 ounces each)
	4	Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter
	1	lemon
	~	Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
	¼	cup chopped fresh parsley

Steps

Poached Salmon Fillets or Steaks

Bring enough water to cover the thickest piece of fish by an inch to a boil in a pan in which all the fish pieces will fit at once, or use 2 pans simultaneously if necessary. Stand a ruler vertically next to the smallest piece of fish and note its thickness. Slide pieces of fish into the water, bring back to a gently bubbling simmer, and cook 10 minutes for each inch of thickness of the smallest piece. (For example, if your smallest steak is 1 inch thick, cook 10 minutes. If, say, you have a fillet piece that is only ¾ inches thick, cook for 7½ minutes.) While this method is not absolutely accurate, it beats any other formula we know about for simplicity.
While salmon is cooking, melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Cut lemon in half, squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice from one half and add to butter. Cut the other half into 4 wedges for garnish.
Test the smallest salmon piece for doneness—it should be opaque in the middle and register 120°F to 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, depending on how moist or dry you like your salmon. When done, gently lift the piece out of the water, slide onto a folded kitchen towel, and check the other pieces for doneness. Remove any skin still on the fish while it is warm—usually it will slide off easily.
Transfer fish to warmed serving plates, top with some of the lemon butter, sprinkle with a little salt, some freshly ground pepper, and some chopped parsley. Garnish with the wedges of lemon.

Chilled Salmon with Mayonnaise

Omit the lemon butter. Serve lightly chilled with a little homemade mayonnaise, crusty bread, and marinated vegetables.

Notes

Picking a cooking vessel is the first step in poaching. Select a fairly shallow pan, with sides of 3 to 4 inches, large enough in diameter to fit the number of pieces you’ll be cooking. A straight-sided 3- to 6-quart frying pan is a fine choice.
Choose something with which to lift the fish out of the pan after cooking, such as a long metal turner/spatula.
The cooking timing discussed here is approximate, since the shape of the pieces of fish affects their cooking rate. You’ll want to check for doneness often while you get used to poaching.
Many other types of fish respond well to poaching, as well. Try halibut, snapper, fresh tuna, and various kinds of sole.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.