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.
Simple as well as a healthy recipe for a meal. Sounds scrumptious. I would like to ask why does it say it makes 7 1/2 cups of court bullion, when you said to use 7 1/4 cups water? Secondly, how much salmon do you need for the recipe as it wasn’t stated in the ingredients list?
Thirdly, do I need to use a pan or a 6-quart Dutch oven because before the ingredients list you mentioned, 6-quart Dutch oven and then you said ‘Place all of the ingredients into a pan?’
Hi Shruti, thank you for your questions and here are some answers to your questions just to clarify:
1. Why does it say it makes 7½ cups of court-bouillon when the recipe uses 7¼ cups water? The 7¼ cups water is the exact liquid amount listed in the ingredients. When you add the vinegar (¼ cup) + the volume from the sliced carrots (~1 cup) and onions (~¾ cup), plus the minor displacement from the herbs/peppercorns/salt, the total finished broth volume comes out to about 7½ cups. This is enough liquid to properly cover a 1-pound piece of salmon in a wide pot without it being too crowded. It’s a practical “yield” note rather than a strict measured total.
2. How much salmon do you need? The recipe is scaled for one-pound (about 450–500g) piece of salmon. This fits nicely in a 6-quart Dutch oven with the 7½ cups of broth. It’s enough for 2–4 servings depending on appetites and sides. Use a skin-on fillet or portion for best results.
3. Pan or 6-quart Dutch oven? Use a 6-quart Dutch oven (or a large, deep pan/pot with a lid that can hold the fish and broth comfortably). The intro mentions the Dutch oven for sizing context (to ensure the broth covers the fish), while the instructions say “pan” as a general term. Either works as long as it’s big enough—Dutch ovens are ideal because they hold heat well and have high sides to keep everything submerged during simmering.
At Henry Africa, the restaurant I used to work in, we used a big rectangular full-size hotel pan (stainless steel, about 20¾” x 12¾” and 4 inches deep) for poaching fish in court bouillon. It gives a wide, shallow surface so fillets or small whole fish lie flat without crowding, and the depth holds just enough liquid to cover them with minimal waste. But you would have to bump up the quantities on the court bullion and you could cook an entire fillet of salmon and something less large.
But most home cooks use a wide Dutch oven, deep sauté pan, or roasting pan works great too.
The flavor imported from the court bullion is outstanding, and I hope you enjoy making this recipe. Best regards, Cooky
Thanks Cooky. Your advice is comprehensive and helpful. I would like to ask can I cook the salmon in a pan, without a lid or does it cause the fishy smell to not get ridden of completely?
Secondly, if it’s necessary for me to use a lid, should I cover put the lid on the pan before adding the fish or after it?
Hi Shruti, thank you for your questions. Here’s what I think:
1. Yes, you can poach the salmon in a wide pan without a lid—this is the standard and my usual method with vinegar court bouillon. The gentle simmer and the acid help neutralize fishy smells really well when cooking uncovered.
2. I mention a pot with a lid because you might want to cover the pan briefly after adding the fish to regain temperature, but then be sure to uncover it quickly once it’s simmering again.
3. Court bouillon gets rid of fishy smells thanks to the vinegar or lemon (the acid) plus all the onions, herbs, and spices. These ingredients neutralize the smelly compounds as the liquid gently simmers.
Thanks Cooky. You’re a chef who knows her stuff.