Cold Poached Salmon

Recipe by: Leslie Brenner

Super easy to make, this summertime treat is simple enough to be weeknight dinner you grab from the fridge, elegant enough to be the centerpiece of a dinner party and portable enough to be the star of a picnic or potluck. I love to serve it with my favorite dill sauce.

I’m not a fan of farmed salmon; this is best using whatever wild salmon looks great and is affordable (whether fresh or fresh from frozen); coho, for instance. This recipe is for an entire side of salmon (one whole fillet), but you can follow the same instructions to poach just a piece of one, or several individual portions — the poaching liquid is just salted water, and the cooking time is about the same. (If you’re using a flatter single piece or pieces, poach for 8 or 9 minutes rather than 10.) Have the fishmonger remove the salmon’s pin bones, if you can. Otherwise, run your finger over the fillet before cooking, find the bones…