Broiling or sautéing fish inside our cozy, warm kitchen when it’s cold outside can be a smelly proposition. But I can still cook my homemade fish dish and avoid fish odor from invading our space by using this delicious recipe for poached salmon – no stink cooking.
If you’re like me after a fish-frying session, there’s always smell-remediation going on: fans are pulled out of storage and cranked on full blast, doors and windows are flung wide open letting the frigid air in, and bowls of vinegar are wafting their defensive challenge into the fray. There’s my fleeting thought that only ServPro, can really get the walls smell-free, but then I come to: it’s not actually a disaster, it’s only the smell of fish. But that’s what it does to me. Avoid it, prevent it, are my mottos.
Enjoy Fish in Winter Without the Fish Smell
I could cook the fish outside: The grill is right there the deck, its cover blowing in the cold wind, but it’s just the two of us and it’s not exactly convenient or economical to fire it up for a one-pound, special meal of fish.
Then I land on a winner: a Court-boullion-poached salmon – no stink cooking! I highly recommend the recipe for Vinegar Court-Boullion from Le Guide Culinare by Auguste Escoffier, i.e., the bible of French cooking. In his recipe he uses enough water to poach an entire, large salmon (1 3/8 U.S. Gallons!) Most of us usually don’t cook that much fish at one time, so I am offering you a 1/3 recipe. If you are cooking a whole fish or a school of trout, just triple the recipe below.
Don’t be intimidated by this French recipe: Vinegar Court-Boullion is a cooking broth, brought to a simmer, to infuse your fish with delicious flavors and in just a few minutes! And the ingredients are simple and usually on hand…
Poached Salmon in Vinegar Court-Boullion
Makes 7 1/2 cups of court-bullion, enough to cover a one-pound piece of salmon in a 6-quart dutch oven; Preparation Time: 20 minutes; Cooking Time: 15 minutes
- 7 1/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 rounded tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 cup scrubbed and sliced carrots
- 3/4 cup sliced onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 10 peppercorns
- Place all of the ingredients into a pan and bring to a boil and simmer approximately 20 minutes before adding the fish.
- Add fish, skin-side down, to the boiling court-boullion, and, simmer at a low boil, for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon or fish. Check frequently and make sure the fish is cooked to your desired finish.
If you are using thinner trout fillets, follow step one and then pull the pan off the heat, add the trout and letit stew in the hot court-boullion until cooked, which should be only a few minutes. Serve your poached salmon with boiled and buttered potatoes and a salad.
Sauces for Your Poached Salmon
Or, you can top your salmon with my recipe for hollandaise sauce, or–ma great favorite–a slightly thinned creamed peas from Charlene at www.apinchofjoy.com (This is basically a white sauce with peas and is American-1950s-style-scrumptious on salmon) or other cold sauces, such as a Dilly Yogurt Sauce or Greek Tzatziki from Liz at www.thelemonbowl.com. If you like things spicy, you can also top it the way my sister Sarah does with a cold-sauce made from a blend of fresh cilantro, green onions, green chiles (you choose the type and heat) blended with olive oil.
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