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Salmon: Poached Salmon with Herb Mustard Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Basic to Brilliant, Y'all" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"My grandparents drove their motor home all the way from Georgia to Alaska three or four times. Dede loved Alaska, mostly because he liked salmon fishing. They would fish and then visit a local canning plant, returning with cases and cases of salmon preserved in mason jars. The processing renders the salmon bones soft. My sister and I would fight over what we referred to as the 'buttons,' which I now know to be the softened vertebrae. Poaching is a classic French technique and the result, if executed properly, showcases the fish."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups water
â—¦ 2 cups dry white wine
â—¦ 2 to 4 sprigs tarragon, leaves coarsely chopped and stems reserved
â—¦ 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
â—¦ ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
â—¦ 1 carrot, sliced
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
â—¦ 4 (5-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
â—¦ ½ cup Dijon mustard
â—¦ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the greens
â—¦ 4 to 6 cups mixed greens (such as Belgian endive, mâche, and Bibb lettuce)


Recipe

To poach the salmon, combine the water, wine, tarragon stems (leaves reserved), bay leaves, peppercorns, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes to make a flavorful court-bouillon. Season with salt and pepper.

Have ready a large, heavy-duty sealable plastic bag filled with ice cubes. Make an ice bath to cool the salmon by transferring several cups (or more, if needed) of the broth to a large heatproof bowl. Place the ice pack in the bowl of broth; move the pack around until the broth is well chilled (drain the bag and add more ice to it as needed). Return the heat to high and bring the remaining mixture to a rolling boil. Add the salmon fillets. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat and remove the salmon from the poaching liquid. Transfer to the cooled broth and allow the salmon to cool in the bouillon. Cover the fish and broth with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, or until you are ready to serve.

Meanwhile, put the mustard in a small bowl. Whisk the olive oil into the mustard in a slow, steady stream. Stir in the reserved chopped tarragon leaves. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve, put the greens in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Arrange the greens on 4 plates. Remove the salmon from the broth and pat dry with paper towels. Top each plate of greens with a piece of salmon. Spoon the mustard sauce over the fish to coat. Garnish with leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs tarragon. Serve, passing the remaining mustard sauce separately.

Serves 4