Poached Salmon Recipe: How to Make Poached Salmon

Poached salmon is a fish dish made by gently cooking salmon in a flavorful broth on the stovetop. There are several ways to flavor your broth, but many poaching liquids feature aromatic herbs, white wine, and citrus. The salmon cooks in the lightly simmering liquid and is ready in less than ten minutes.

You can serve poached salmon warm, at room temperature, or chilled, making it a perfect meal-prep option or make-ahead meal.

Poaching is one of the easiest techniques for achieving moist, evenly cooked fish. Here’s what you need to know.

1. 1. Use even salmon pieces. Whether you buy large salmon fillets and cut them yourself, or buy pre-cut pieces from the fishmonger, make sure they’re fairly even in size, so they finish cooking simultaneously. Learn how to fillet a salmon.
2. 2. Take care not to overfill the pan. It may not seem like enough liquid at first, but the salmon and aromatics will displace the broth as you add each piece, and you don’t want the pan to overflow.
3. 3. Use a fish spatula. Fish spatulas are long, thin, and flexible metal spatulas with a tapered edge that can move fillets around while keeping them intact. They work well for any fish preparation and are a valuable tool if you cook fish often.

Poached salmon is a versatile protein. Here are some flavorful ways to serve it.

1. 1. Caper butter sauce: While you poach the salmon, make a quick sauce with melted butter, capers, lemon zest, grated garlic cloves, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Spoon it over the warm fish.
2. 2. Chowder: Flake the poached salmon, and stir it into a corn-and-potato chowder for a hearty take on the classic fish stew. Use this salmon chowder recipe as a guide.
3. 3. Dip: Mix flaked poached salmon with cream cheese, lemon zest, capers, and fresh herbs like dill or chives. Serve the dip with bagels at your next brunch.
4. 4. Niçoise salad: Instead of the typical tuna, serve chilled poached salmon over a bed of tender lettuce, steamed green beans, boiled eggs, and new potatoes, drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette. This lighter take on a Niçoise salad is perfect for a hearty lunch.
5. 5. Salmon rice: Flake the poached salmon over a bowl of warm rice, then drizzle with Japanese mayo, lemon juice, and a showering of furikake for some crunch.