Poaching is a gentle cooking method that works really well with fish. Poached salmon is wonderfully moist and delicate, and this easy recipe takes just 20 minutes to make.
You can poach the fish in white wine and serve it warm with hollandaise sauce, or serve it cold with tartar sauce.
I make salmon often and have a pretty large collection of salmon recipes on this website. I love sautéing salmon in butter until its skin is nice and crispy. And baked salmon is absolutely wonderful, as are these very flavorful grilled salmon and broiled salmon.
But there’s something about poaching. This gentle cooking method yields tender, flaky fish. It's a cooking method that retains moisture and allows the flavor of the fish to shine through.
Just take care not to overcook the fish to avoid drying it out. But this is true for any cooking method.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to poach salmon. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Dry white wine: You can also use fish stock or even water; I do enjoy the flavor that the wine adds. And then we also drink it with our meal!
- Dill: I place it in the bottom of the pan, then place the fish fillets on top.
- Salmon fillets: I love the taste of wild-caught salmon, but any salmon will work in this recipe.
- Seasonings: I use kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I actually prefer garlic powder to minced garlic, because it coats the salmon more evenly.
Instructions
Poaching salmon is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Pour the wine into a large lidded skillet. Bring it to a simmer.
- Place the dill in the skillet, reserving a few sprigs for garnish. Place the salmon fillets, skin side down, on top of the dill. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Cover the pan tightly and poach the fish until cooked through, 5-10 minutes. That's it!
Expert tip
To ensure the fish poaches rather than boils, make sure to maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil. If needed, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. While the skin won't crisp up the way it does when you bake salmon or make pan-fried salmon, it will keep the fish nice and moist.
I personally like the fatty poached skin, but you can certainly remove it after cooking.
I like to use white wine in this recipe. Sauvignon blanc works well, as does pinot grigio. Both of these wines can also be served with this dish, so this is perfect!
You can simply use water instead of wine, or fish broth. Or you could try using milk as your poaching liquid. I hear it's good, and it does sound very good, but I haven't tried it.
Please don't make me choose! I love all of them. When poached, it's mild and moist. But other cooking techniques crisp up the skin and bring out the fish's unique flavor.
These include pan-frying, grilling, broiling, and oven-baking. I would say that if I absolutely had to choose one method, I would go with pan-frying salmon in butter.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to experiment with different poaching liquids and see which of them you like best.
Good candidates include dry white wine, fish stock, milk, or simply water.
Serving suggestions
This salmon is delicious when served warm, on its own, drizzled with melted butter, or topped with hollandaise sauce. You can also serve it chilled, with mayonnaise, or with some homemade tartar sauce.
As for side dishes, this dish is very versatile. It goes really well with most vegetables. When I serve it cold, I often serve it with asparagus salad or with broccoli salad.
Storing leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days. I like to flake them and add them, cold, to a salad the next day for my lunch.
But you can also reheat the leftovers - just do so very gently, in the microwave, covered, on 50% power. If you reheat them too aggressively, they will be dry.
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Recipe card
Poached Salmon Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 bunch dill weed
- 2 (6 oz) wild salmon fillets skin-on, pin bones removed with tweezers
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour the wine into a 12-inch lidded skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Place the dill weed in the skillet, reserving a few sprigs for garnish. Place the salmon fillets on top of the dill, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Cover the pan tightly with the lid (or with foil).
- Poach the salmon until no longer raw in the thickest part, 5-10 minutes, depending on its thickness. It should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Serve the salmon immediately (with hollandaise sauce if you wish), or chill for at least 2 hours and serve cold, with mayonnaise or tartar sauce.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 