Fish for Dinner: Oven Poached Organic  Irish Salmon

Fish for Dinner is a feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

The Occasion: A quiet dinner for two at home after a couple weeks with one or the other of us away on business travel. I don’t cook when it’s just me, I make food -- PB toast, eggs, salad – so it’s nice to get back to work in the kitchen and prepare a meal to share with my sweetie. This simple recipe for oven poached salmon was just the ticket – easy to execute, quite tasty, and an excellent excuse to open a better-than-usual-for-a-Friday-night bottle of wine with dinner. 

Look at that beautiful fish! The treatment is so simple it’s practically non-existent – salt and pepper(s) on top and then poach the fish in a wine/water mix to ensure that the fish stays moist.

How We Prepared It:

• Oven Poached Organic Irish Salmon - recipe from The Chopping Block
• Broccoli Rabe Sautéed with Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes
• Portabella Mushrooms Stuffed with Cheese and Spinach

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​Keep reading for the recipe, photos, and the verdict.

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Image: Dima Barsky

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Click photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Oven Poached Salmon
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Oven Poached Salmon
Recipe source: The Chopping Block (Chicago)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 salmon filets (about 6 ounces each), skinned

Cook’s note: I forgot to skin the fillets before I poached them. Turned out fine, although the fish will probably absorb more flavor when the skin is removed.

• About 2 cups white wine
• About 2 cups water
• Fine sea salt, to taste 
• Espellette* pepper, to taste 
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

* Espellette pepper is a ground red pepper from the  Pyrénées-Atlantiques region in France. We picked up a jar during our awesome French vacation two years ago and are thrilled to find any opportunity to use it. You can easily substitute a little cayenne or ground Szechuan pepper, or anything really. 

DIRECTIONS:

• Place salmon filets, not touching, in a ceramic baking dish.
• Add equal parts wine and water until liquid reaches 1/3 of the way up sides of fish.
• Sprinkle filets with salt and peppers.
• Bake in preheated 400º oven until just opaque but not flaking, about 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
• Remove from liquid with a slotted spatula and serve.

Serves: 6

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The Verdict: Perfect. This minimalist recipe really lets the quality of fish shine through – this one was of very high quality indeed. (Thanks, Hooked on Fish!) The poaching technique is super-easy and may be used with many types of meaty fish such as steelhead trout, arctic char, and halibut.

Broccoli rabe is one of my favorites (also known as rapini) – much leafier than regular broccoli with flexible stems and loose florets. Their bitter bite is why I love this vegetable but I get that it can be potentially off-putting. That’s why I treat ‘em with a quick blanch and then a slow simmer with olive oil, garlic and whatever else you care to toss in. Cherry tomatoes added color and a little sweetness. Delish!

The portabellas were purchased pre-stuffed from the grocery and popped into the oven along with the fish. Next to the delicate flavors of the salmon, the mushroom’s umami notes and richness from the cheese added a welcome decadence to the plate.

BTW the wine was a Stag’s Leap 2013 Chardonnay. Also delish! It's lovely with citrus notes with a moderate oakiness. Very nice with the simple fish treatment and quite sippable for lingering after dinner.