How to Perfectly Poach Salmon

America’s Test Kitchen Chef, Elle Simone, unveils just how easy it is to delicately cook salmon at home by poaching it! The recipe, tips, and tricks shared are straight from the pages of America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook: Foolproof Fish.

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Every category of fish has different properties — taste, texture, nutrition, and more. But is there a method that works to cook a majority of fish fillets, regardless of cooking category? There is, and not only is it reliable, foolproof, and dead-simple, but it makes each fish taste delicate and distinctly like itself: poaching.

Heating fish with liquid produces steam that delicately cooks the fish — if done right. A low cooking temperature would prevent over-cooking, but it doesn’t create enough steam to evenly cook the fish. high head would over cook the fish. Our solution isn’t obvious: we increased the ratio of wine to water in our poaching liquid.

The additional alcohol lowers the liquid’s boiling point, producing more vapor even at a lower temperature. For better flavor we do not fully submerge the fish; we rest the fillets on some lemon slices to avoid overcooking the bottom.

You will need a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe. Cook the fillets to 120 degrees (for medium-rare) and start checking for doneness after 8 minutes.

Serves 4

1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds

4 sprigs fresh parsley

1 shallot, sliced thin

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 (6 to 8 ounce) skinless salmon fillets, 1 inch thick

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Arrange lemon slices in single layer across bottom of 12-inch skillet. Top with parsley sprigs and shallot, then add wine and 1/2 cup water. Pat salmon dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place, skinned side down, on top of lemon slices in skillet. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain gentle simmer, until salmon registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 11 to 16 minutes.

2. Remove skillet from heat and, using spatula, carefully transfer salmon and lemon slices to paper towel-lined plate to drain. (Discard poaching liquid.) Carefully lift and tilt fillets to remove lemon slices and transfer to platter. Serve.