Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 36 votes

Poached Salmon with Dill-Horseradish Cream

You can butter poach virtually any other fish. Trout is an obvious alternative, but you could use just about any fish you can cut into blocks: Cod, halibut, grouper, cobia, shark, swordfish or sturgeon, a large striped bass, etc. Play around with it and see what you like best.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 418 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Scandinavian

Ingredients

  • 4 portions of skinless salmon, for a total of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
  • 1 quart water
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter OR 2 whole sticks (see below)
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons minced dill
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Dissolve the salt in the water and brine the salmon in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how thick it is. Move the salmon to a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. While the salmon is brining, mix together the sour cream, horseradish and dill in a bowl.
  3. If you have a vacuum sealer, seal each portion of salmon in its own bag -- if you jam them all together they won't cook as well -- each with at least 1 tablespoon of butter; you can use more if you'd like. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, melt the butter in a pot large enough to submerge at least 1 piece of salmon. Turn the oven on to "warm" and put a baking sheet inside; this is for the cooked pieces of salmon to rest while you do the others. Of course, you could also melt a pound or so of butter and poach all of the salmon at once, but that gets expensive.
  4. The easiest way to poach the salmon is to cook it sous vide for 20 to 45 minutes at 135°F -- the lower end of this spectrum will give you rare-on-the-inside salmon, the upper end will get you fully cooked but still luscious salmon. If you don't have a sous vide water oven., fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and heat it to the steaming point, about 150°F to 160°F. Don't let it simmer. Drop the vacuum-sealed salmon in the water, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let them cook in the bags for 10 to 20 minutes. If you are doing the butter bath method, melt the butter over low heat. Place the salmon in the butter and let it cook gently for 10-20 minutes. Carefully lift it out with a spatula and move it to the preheated oven.
  5. Once your salmon is poached, serve with a dollop of the sour cream and top with black pepper. Roasted or boiled potatoes are a good accompaniment.

Nutrition Information

Calories 418kcal (21%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 30g (46%) Saturated Fat 13g (65%) Cholesterol 144mg (48%) Sodium 7195mg (300%) Potassium 887mg (25%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 700IU (14%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 77mg (8%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 418

% Daily Value*

Calories 418kcal 21%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Protein 35g 70%
Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 144mg 48%
Sodium 7195mg 300%
Potassium 887mg 19%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 700IU 14%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 77mg 8%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.