Entertain the Possibilities - Home cooking becomes a special occasion; Get recipes, photos, tips and playlists
  • Blog
  • About

Fish for Dinner: Oven Poached Organic  Irish  Salmon

3/21/2016

0 Comments

 
Fish for Dinner: Oven Poached 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
Organic Irish Salmon

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

Fishing Against an Orange Sky
Image: Dima Barsky

Click photos to enlarge them and read the captions.
Printable Recipe- Oven Poached Salmon
File Size: 499 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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

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. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    When home cooking becomes a special occasion - Recipes, playlists, table tips and more
    Picture

    ​
    Entertaining Vintage

    Vintage treasures for the kitchen, home, collectibles, and gifts

    Categories

    All
    Afternoon Dance Break
    Birthday Greetings
    Cookbook Road Test
    Cool Tunes
    Drinks
    Entertaining Vintage
    Fish
    Kitchen Reno
    Kitchen Tips
    National Days
    Party Planning
    Pop Culture
    Recipe
    Savory Bites
    Supper Club
    Sweet Bites
    The Arts
    Travel
    TV
    Video

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
Proudly powered by Weebly