Cold Poached Salmon is a great way to enjoy salmon as the perfect dish to make on a warm summer day. It has a melt in your mouth texture, and it’s fabulous served cold with a simple sauce drizzled on top.
If you are a lover of salmon, you might also enjoy our recipes for barbecued salmon, Asian salmon fillets or salmon Nicoise salad.
Cold poached salmon has roots in French cuisine when poached fish became a commonly used cooking technique. In the 19th century, poached salmon emerged as an elegant entree to serve at dinners or luncheons, and it was commonly served chilled with a sauce. By the early 20th century, cold poached salmon made its way onto British and American menus.
Nordic countries commonly serve chilled fish with sauce (think of salmon Gravlax). So it fits in with their style of cuisine as well.
Ingredients needed for making Poached Salmon:
- Salmon: Wild caught salmon takes less time to poach than fattier farm-raised salmon.
- Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper:
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium broth so you can control the amount of salt added in by adding your own salt.
Ingredients needed for making Mustard Sauce:
- Roasted Red Pepper: You can roast your own red pepper, or (easier) just use a roasted red bell pepper from a jar.
- Dijon Mustard: Any kind of creamy Dijon mustard will work here.
- White Wine: There is such a small amount of wine (1 tablespoon) used for the sauce, so just use something that you enjoy drinking. If you don’t cook with wine, it’s okay to add in a little lemon juice or white wine vinegar instead.
- Fresh Tarragon and Fresh Parsley: If tarragon is difficult to find, use fresh dill or basil instead.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
How to make Cold Poached Salmon:
Place the salmon fillets in a skillet with the chicken broth (before it is heated), plus some salt and pepper. Let the chicken broth come to a simmer (don’t bring the broth to a full rolling boil), and then turn OFF the heat on the stove. Let the fillets sit in the hot broth for 30 minutes. The color of the salmon should change to a pale pink, and it should flake easily with a fork. Then remove them to a platter, cover and refrigerate.
How to make Red Pepper- Mustard Sauce:
Add a roasted red pepper to a powerful blender or food processor, and process it to a puree. Add the roasted red pepper puree to a bowl, and then stir in all of the other sauce ingredients. Chill until ready to serve with the cold poached salmon.
More sauces to serve with cold poached salmon:
There are a lot of different sauces you can use to top cold poached salmon. A simple yogurt dill sauce is common for topping salmon. You can also use Green Goddess Salad Dressing, Hollandaise Sauce or Thai Curry Sauce.
Recipe Tips
- If you’d like to jazz up your poaching liquid flavors, consider adding sliced onion or shallot, celery, peppercorns or fresh herbs.
- It’s okay to substitute water for the chicken broth.
- It’s okay to poach the salmon with the skin attached. It’s easiest to remove the skin while the salmon is still warm.
- Store cold poached salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Throw it out after the 4th day.
- Add a ladle of the poaching liquid to the airtight container. It will help the salmon to maintain moisture!
What to serve with Cold Poached Salmon:
Since cold poached salmon is such a lovely dinner to make for a summer evening, think about serving a lovely salad to go with it. Consider a lentil salad, quinoa salad or broccoli salad. Or serve with roasted vegetables or potato salad. Garnish your salmon with fresh herbs and lemon slices. Serve with a chilled chardonnay, dry white wine or a light pinot noir.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s a nice recipe to make ahead and then serve chilled when you don’t feel like turning on the oven on a hot day.
- I love to make poached salmon to serve on salad too.
- It’s an easy recipe to make! And if you really enjoy it, then try our recipe for beer poached salmon too!
Cold Poached Salmon
Ingredients
SALMON
- Four 6-ounce salmon fillets (pin bones removed)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
MUSTARD
- 1 large roasted red pepper, jarred or homemade
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
PREPARE THE POACHED SALMON:
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place the fillets in a large sauté pan with the chicken broth and heat over medium heat just to a simmer. Then turn OFF the heat.
- Let the salmon rest in the hot liquid for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the fillets to a platter and cool to room temperature, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
MAKE THE RED PEPPER-MUSTARD SAUCE:
- Place the roasted peppers in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, combine the red pepper purée, mustard, wine and herbs. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
- Drizzle the sauce over cold poached salmon to serve.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just be sure to use a brand of chicken broth that is designated as GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
