How to Poach Salmon Step By Step

Learning how to poach salmon is easy, and it’s the start of more healthy dishes than you can count!

Poached salmon is a major player in the healthy eating plan that helped me to lose over 30 pounds and keep it off. Light yet filling, this nutrient packed staple forms the basis of many of the dishes I enjoy regularly. It’s quick and easy to poach salmon too. The whole process only takes about 15 minutes, making poached salmon a nutritious rival to ‘fast food’ and take out.

Poaching is a great way to cook, and it’s much easier than most people think. In addition to poached fish, there’s classic poached eggs, poached chicken and even poached pears.

You can poach any firm fish, including salmon or white fish. I prefer to use fillets or a side of fish, as opposed to poaching a whole fish, which is slightly more complex process requiring a special pan. How to poach salmon fillets? It’s seriously quick and very easy.

Boneless salmon fillets are best and it’s actually easier to poach them with the skin on. After the salmon is cooked, you can slide the skin off using a slice or spatula.

Love fish? Don’t miss these easy, tasty seafood recipes! 

Top Tips

Start with flavourful stock

Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be homemade, but your stock does need to have lots of flavour. Choose a good stock cube or ready prepared stock, and feel free to add some fresh or dried herbs (try basil or tarragon) and some dried parsley. You may want to add a pinch of salt, depending on how salty your stock is to start with, and I always add a good grinding of black pepper.

Use sustainably fished, wild salmon if possible

Salmon is really nutritious, with Omega 3 and 6 fats as well as potassium, selenium, folate and vitamins. There is quite a lot of debate on whether wild salmon is better for you than farmed, and any eating any type of salmon is better than eating none at all. However, I honestly believe wild salmon tastes better and recommend you choose it if it is available and affordable.

Eat poached salmon straight away, or cool it quickly and refrigerate as soon as possible

Poached salmon tastes delicious hot in so many dishes, or just with some lightly steamed or stir fried vegetables. It also tastes great cold in salads and sandwiches, but it’s important to get it to a safe fridge temperature as quickly as possible, and use within two days.

How To Poach Salmon Step by Step

1 – Bring your stock to a simmer.

2 – Add the salmon fillets.

3 – Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Do not let the stock boil or the salmon will overcook.

4 – Remove the pan from the heat and allow the salmon to sit in the stock for 7 minutes.

5 – Remove the salmon from the stock, slide off the skin and serve hot or cold.

How To Poach Salmon – Printable Recipe

Created by: April J Harris

How to Poach Salmon

Course Fish and Seafood

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 4

Print

Pin

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 17 mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• prepared fillets of salmon
• 4 to 6 cups of fish, chicken or vegetable stock made from a cube is fine, but go for the best quality available
• fresh or dried herbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Put the stock in a medium to large saucepan or frying pan with a lid and a depth of about 4 to 6 inches.
• Add the herbs and seasonings to the stock.
• Bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat.
• Lower the heat and gently slide the salmon fillets into the pan, making sure they are covered with the hot stock.
• Put the lid of the pan on and set the timer for 5 minutes, keeping the stock at a low simmer. Do not let the stock boil.
• When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the heat, keeping the lid on.
• Let the salmon fillets sit in the hot stock, off the heat, for 7 minutes.
• Gently lift the salmon fillets from the stock, and either serve immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

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How Can I Serve Poached Salmon?

Wrap poached salmon and sliced cucumber in crisp lettuce leaves for a low carb lunch.

Spread Ryvita or Crisp breads with mashed avocado and top with cold poached salmon and sliced cucumber or sliced hard boiled egg.

Serve cold poached salmon over top of quinoa, bulgar wheat, couscous or freekeh along with chopped salad or vegetables.

Use poached salmon in your favourite salmon sandwich recipe.

Serve hot poached salmon atop a pile of stir fried rice or noodles and veggies.

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