poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce

Serves 2

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

• ½ cup rice vinegar
• Juice from 3 lemons, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 salmon fillets (5 ounces each)
• ½ cup Basic Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup coconut cream
• ½ cucumber, peeled and diced
• ½ shallot, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh dill, leaves only, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ lemon, thinly sliced

Poaching fish helps keep it moist while adding and infusing flavor, but if you’re short on time (or ingredients), you can use our Perfect Oven-Baked Salmon technique. Make a double batch of this Cucumber Dill Sauce, as it’s delicious mixed into a Protein Salad.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

To make the poaching liquid, combine 2 cups of water with the rice vinegar, the juice of 2 lemons, the bay leaf, and peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat.

Place the salmon fillets skin-side down in a casserole dish (choose a dish that is deeper than the thickness of the salmon). Pour the poaching liquid over the salmon. Transfer to the oven to poach until it’s slightly translucent when you cut into the center, around 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

While the salmon is poaching, mix the juice of the remaining lemon, the mayonnaise, coconut cream, cucumber, shallot, dill, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Discard any poaching liquid left in the casserole, along with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Place the salmon on a serving dish or individual plates. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and garnish with the lemon slices.

✪Perfect Poached Salmon Overcooked salmon loses its moisture and tenderness, so check often as you’re nearing the end of your cooking time. It’s better to remove the salmon from the oven slightly underdone, as it will continue to cook even on a serving plate. Poke a butter knife into the salmon at the thickest part and gently pull it apart. The flesh should be easily parted, and look mostly opaque (not red and raw at the top). You should see some white at the edges from the fat, and the flesh should feel firm. Don’t cook it until the flesh easily flakes, though—that’s a sign of overcooking. Poaching is a very forgiving technique, even if you leave it in the poaching liquid a little too long, your fish will still be moist and tender.

Make It a Meal: This dish is perfect for Sunday brunch, or any old Meal 1. Serve with our Butternut Squash Soup or Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Zest.