• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Reluctant Gourmet

  • Planning
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Techniques
  • Tools
  • Shop
  • Tips
  • Careers
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Planning
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Techniques
  • Tools
  • Shop
  • Tips
  • Schools
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce Recipe

    April 15, 2010 by G. Stephen Jones 11 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    poached salmon with dill

    How to Prepare a Delicious Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce

    Poaching is a wonderful way to keep delicate fish moist and flaky.  If you follow the simple steps for poaching and have patience, you will be rewarded with a succulent main course like the poached salmon with dill sauce recipe below.

    Poaching is a gentle moist heat technique of cooking and is perfect for a fish dish like this one but can be used for meat and chicken. And I'm guessing most of you have probably had poached eggs sometime in your life or what about poached pears?

    Check out my cooking technique page on How to Poach to learn more about poaching, when to use this technique and steps for achieving great results.

    I strongly urge you to buy an instant read thermometer if you don't already own one.  It takes all the guess work out of determining doneness.

    Fish Stock

    This recipe calls for 2 quarts of fish stock and I recommend you make your own with some help on my fish stock recipe post or find a good commercial alternative.

    poached salmon
    Print Recipe

    Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce Recipe

    Learn how to poach salmon and serve with a delicious dill sauce.
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: seafood
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    For the Salmon

    • 2 pounds salmon fillet
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • ½ cup wine
    • 2 quarts fish stock broth, enough to cover salmon

    For the Poaching Liquid

    • bouquet garni
    • ½ cup onion diced
    • ¼ cup carrot diced
    • ¼ cup celery diced

    For the Dill Sauce

    • 1 bunch dill
    • ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
    • 6 ounces crème fraiche
    • lemon juice to taste
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    For the Salmon

    • Salt and pepper the salmon on both sides.
    • Add the wine, broth, bouquet garnis, onion, carrot and celery to the poaching pan. Bring liquid up to about 160°F. Hold at this temperature for fifteen minutes.
    • Carefully lower the salmon into the pan. Add more broth, if necessary, to cover.
    • Gently poach the salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F.

    For the Dill Sauce

    • Remove larger stems from the dill and the parsley.
    • Put the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Process with on-off pulses until you have a thick sauce.
    • Taste, and add more lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper, if needed.

    Serving

    • The dish can be served warm or cold. If serving cold, make the salmon well ahead and chill it in its poaching liquid. Before serving, make the sauce. Then, slice the salmon into four portions, topping each portion with ¼ of the sauce.
    • If serving warm, gently warm the sauce on the stove, stirring constantly. Serve over the warm salmon.

    For more information about poaching from the National Fisheries Institute.

    « Culinary Arts or Culinary Management
    Spices - Grinding Your Own »

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. PeterV

      August 25, 2010 at 11:54 am

      Looks divine. Questions: 1) Do you remove the skin from the fish before poaching? 2) What do you recommend as an accompaniment with the fish? i.e. mashed potato or salad etc?

      Hi Peter, thanks for the questions. I leave the skin on the fillet because that's how I buy it. I suppose I could ask my fishmonger to remove the skin or remove it myself but after you poach it, I may serve it in pieces and the meat comes off the skin easily. As for what to serve, the options are limitless. Go with something in season. Mashed may be too heavy for this dish. I would prefer new potatoes. Salads always work well. - RG

      Reply
    2. Lucy Young

      September 22, 2010 at 3:38 pm

      what about salmon steaks?

      Hi Lucy, personally, I wouldn't poach salmon steaks. - RG

      Reply
    3. sarsi cabael

      October 25, 2010 at 11:06 pm

      Hello! I think this recipe is great! But can i use snapper instead of salmon? Thanks!

      Hi Sarsi, I don't see why not. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you. - RG

      Reply
    4. Tim Mc

      March 30, 2011 at 11:15 pm

      RG, I adapted your recipe slightly and wrapped the salmon in a filo pastry and popped it in the oven. It was masterful. Thanks for all you great stuff

      You are welcome Tim - RG

      Reply
    5. Lovi Hunter

      April 20, 2011 at 5:33 am

      Wow reading you're recipe makes me hungry, plus the fact it's healthy. Thank you for your very informative post. I'm hoping to read more recipes from you.

      Hi Lovi, thanks for commenting and look forward to more of your comments. - RG

      Reply
    6. Regine Smith

      May 26, 2011 at 8:20 am

      Your recipe looks good. We are white meat lovers and I would like to try this at home. I am also a cook, I know a good recipe just by looking on how it is done.

      Reply
    7. Angela Winston

      June 06, 2011 at 10:02 am

      I really have to thank you for such a delicious and easy to follow recipe. Though I really don't cook much often. I have managed to follow the instruction perfectly and the result was promising.

      Hi Angela, thanks for sharing. - RG

      Reply
    8. Wendy Jones

      June 08, 2011 at 2:13 pm

      Whew! this meal is so awesome. It suddenly made me hungry. Thumbs up!

      Thanks Wendy Jones for sharing. - RG

      Reply
    9. Glen

      June 27, 2011 at 11:10 pm

      WHY wouldn't you poach salmon steaks, in re: your response to Lucy Young. Thank you.

      Hi Glen, not sure why I said I wouldn't poach salmon steaks expect I prefer to grill or roast them but you can certainly poach them if you like. Salmon is just a great fish for poaching no matter what the cut. - RG

      Reply
    10. Dan Gaudiano

      July 26, 2011 at 10:56 pm

      Easy to prepare and a great meal. We poached the salmon following the recipe but we prefer a warm sauce so we made our own. Two tbsp of butter, 1/8 cup of white wine, 2 tbsp of fat free half and half and 1 tbs of fresh dill. This is for 1lb of salmon.

      Sounds good Dan, I'll have to try it. - RG

      Reply
    11. Donya27

      June 17, 2012 at 4:38 pm

      salmon salmon salmon i love that dish, it's very delicious and healthy for me with side salad... yummy

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Search My Site

    Who Is The Reluctant Gourmet?

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    How Not to Cook Book

    Cooking Mistakes and How to Fix Them

    Categories

    Reluctant Gourmet on Instagram

    Footer

    About the Reluctant Gourmet

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

    Featured Favorites

    Why Is My Halibut So Dry

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe

    Bucatini all'Amatriciana Recipe

    Pasta with Spinach Garlic and Guanciale Sauce Recipe

    Pasta with Spinach Garlic and Guanciale Sauce Recipe

    Fun Stuff

    • Cartoons
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • Press Releases

    Important Links

    • Advertising Disclosure
    • Terms of Use
    • Copyright Info
    • Privacy Policy
    • Home
    • About The Reluctant Gourmet
    • Contact Me
    • Advertising

    Copyright © 2022 · The Reluctant Gourmet