![Overhead view of cold poached salmon with cumin yogurt sauce served on an earthenware platter and garnished with cucumber and lemon slices.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.foodandwine.com/thmb/VL-3tfP0pB8ySU-TkeY1akYd-SU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/cold-poached-salmon-hero-FT-RECIPE122-20c7e9ecf97c4bf7a6ae7f43d7e70484.jpg)
Julia Hartbeck
Chef and television personality Andrew Zimmern used this recipe in "Boiling Water 101," a class he taught for 10 years at a school in Minnesota. He developed this recipe to teach a basic cooking skill — how to poach salmon — that also delivers complex flavors. It's an excellent touchstone for family meals or entertaining. The technique is simple: Gently simmer a salmon fillet in water seasoned with wine, onion, celery, peppercorns, and parsley, then let it sit on a platter to finish cooking. He serves the salmon chilled with sliced cucumber, sliced lemon, and a delicious yogurt sauce packed with herbs, capers, and a healthy amount of ground cumin.
Ingredients
Salmon
-
3 cups dry white wine
-
1 small onion, chopped
-
3 celery ribs, chopped
-
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
-
3 parsley sprigs
-
1 (3-pound) fillet fatty salmon, pin bones removed
-
6 thin lemon slices, for garnish
-
12 thin cucumber slices, for garnish
-
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Cumin yogurt sauce
-
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
-
1/3 cup cucumber, seeded and finely diced
-
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
-
1 garlic clove, minced
-
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-
3 tablespoons capers, minced
-
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
-
3 tablespoons minced dill
-
1 tablespoon ground cumin
-
Kosher salt
-
Freshly ground white pepper
Directions
Prepare the salmon
-
Julia Hartbeck
Gather your ingredients.
-
Julia Hartbeck
In a fish poacher or a pot large enough to hold the salmon, combine the wine, onion, celery, peppercorns, salt, and parsley.
-
Julia Hartbeck
Add 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the salmon fillet (it should be fully submerged) and bring the water to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until the salmon is just cooked through, about 8 to 9 minutes.
Make the yogurt sauce
-
Julia Hartbeck
In a medium bowl, combine all of the cumin yogurt sauce ingredients and mix well.
-
Julia Hartbeck
Using two spatulas, carefully transfer the salmon fillet to a large platter. Dab off any white bits and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
-
Julia Hartbeck
Season salmon with salt and garnish with the lemon and cucumber slices. Serve it with the cumin yogurt sauce.