My grandmother taught me how to prepare a lot of different foods. Noodles were a household favorite, but Grandma taught the family by handing out handfuls and pinches of different ingredients. After that, I tried converting to US measures. If she were still alive, my grandma would be 102.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 rib celery, sliced
- 6 whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 whole salmon, cleaned
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Combine wine, onion, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a fish poacher. Place poacher over 2 burners on the stove.
- Rinse fish under cold water, stuff the cavity with dill and lemon slices, and place on the rack in the pot. Cover and bring slowly to a strong simmer (don’t boil at any point). Cook until fish easily flakes with a fork, being sure not to overcook, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Drain and serve.
- Try snapper, striped bass, halibut, trout, or any firm white fish instead of salmon, if you’d like. Dark fish like bluefish or mackerel are not recommended for poaching.
- Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of fish. A general rule of thumb is 10 minutes of cooking per 1 inch thickness of fish, so a large whole fish should take between 15 and 30 minutes.
- Fish can be gutted through the gills, or open stomach, or with head and tail removed. Filets also work well.
- The liquid can be cooked in advanced and then cooled. It can be sieved and saved for another use for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a poacher with a rack, wrapping the fish in cheesecloth will help.
- If being served cold, remove poacher from heat a bit earlier and allow fish to cool in liquid to prevent skin from cracking.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 421 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 84 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made it today, with my usual few changes lol I didn’t have a bay leaf so I used summer savory leaves with some fresh parsley. My poacher is big, so I added half a bottle of water to the wine. That said, I was worried that all the tastes would become overpowering, but they didn’t; it was delicious! Subtle favours that enhanced the salmon. I’ll definitely make it again.