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Poached Salmon with Cucumber Yogurt

Source of Recipe

From "Gale Gand's Brunch!" by Christie Matheson and Gale Gand


Recipe Introduction

"I blame my stylish aunt Greta from New York. She introduced me to Greek yogurt and now I can't get the stuff out of my mind. I know I sound like a commercial, but you can combine it with almost anything and it's heavenly and thick and creamy and luxurious; and now you can find it in well-stocked supermarkets! Here I use it to bind shredded cucumber to make a refreshing accompaniment to poached salmon fillets. As for that salmon, don't be tempted to cook it longer than I suggest here. It will finish cooking itself as it cools. Believe me, I've cooked it until it looks done only to discover a tight, dry, embarrassing piece of fish later. I'm still making excuses for that incident. A whole poached side of salmon makes an elegant display on a brunch buffet. If you want to prepare a full side of salmon, double the recipe for the poaching liquid. Double the recipe for the yogurt topping too. Use a fish poacher or a roasting pan to cook the fish. You'll need two spatulas to lift the salmon out of the liquid. It will serve 8 to 10."

List of Ingredients

For the salmon:
â—¦ 1 ½ cups dry white wine
â—¦ 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 small onion, sliced
â—¦ 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
â—¦ 3 strips lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
â—¦ 10 black peppercorns
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ Four 6-ounce, 1-inch-thick salmon fillets, skin off

For the yogurt topping:
â—¦ 1 seedless (English) cucumber, peeled and halved lengthwise
â—¦ 1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt
â—¦ 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

To make salmon, in a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water with the wine, carrot, onion, celery, lemon zest, peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn the heat down and simmer for 6 minutes, until the carrot is tender. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Arrange the salmon fillets in a 10-inch sauté pan so they are not touching one another. Pour the hot poaching liquid over the salmon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add more water if needed to cover. Cook for just 3 to 4 minutes. The salmon will still be pink and rare in the center. Turn off the heat and let the salmon sit in the liquid for about 10 minutes to finish cooking gently. Then move the pan to the refrigerator and chill the salmon in the poaching liquid for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Carefully transfer the salmon (I use a fish spatula, which is slotted and thin) to a serving platter, cover it, and keep it chilled until ready to serve. (Save the poaching liquid for another use; discard the solids.)

To make the yogurt topping, julienne the cucumber, using a Japanese mandoline if you have one; otherwise julienne it in a food processor fitted with the julienne disk. Combine the cucumber, yogurt, and dill in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the yogurt on top of the salmon, and serve.

Serves 4