Shallow Poached Salmon, my way

It's white asparagus season in our place! My family have been having it for lunch every Sunday since mid- May.This subtle -tasting, diuretic- inducing and smelly- pee causing delicacy have been many German's  spring food tradition.

My family enjoys asparagus in it's simplest form. Simmered in salted water and served with white or hollandaise sauce. Not baked, not roasted,  not grilled and certainly no overpowering seasoning. So to make our Sunday spread less monotonous, I have been serving these boiled goodness with all things imaginable . Grilled sausages, roasted chicken, Schnitzel, ham and cheese pancakes, you read it, we ate it.

 I saw the a sexy looking salmon filet at the supermarket this weekend and I decided to serve it  with this weekend's asparagus.



It took me few hours to decide how to cook the salmon . After coming to a decision, prep and cooking was surprisingly brisk. It took me a mere 15 minutes to prepare, cook and serve the fish .
It went very well with white asparagus and pasta. I guess, I still have a room for 1 weekend or two of this delicacy!

Shallow Poached  Salmon

serves 3

about 700 g salmon, cut into 3 servings

salt and pepper

2 lemons

3 shallots, chopped

a handful of parley and dill

1/4 cup white whine

2/3- 1 cup water, depending on the side of your pan

Let's go poached some salmon!

In a wide pan, Put sliced lemons, sliced onion, and your herbs.

Carefully lay salmon filets/steaks over it. Season salmon with salt and pepper. I keep the skin of the salmon on, it holds the flesh together better but you can remove it if you will. Pour wine and and water on the side the salmon. There should be enough fluid to submerge at least the lemon slices and parts of the herbs but it should not soak the salmon.

Bring liquid to a boil, once boiling cover and lower the heat. Allow herb and wine infused steam to gently cook the fish. It will take 8-12 minutes of gentle poaching for the salmon to be cooked, a tad longer of the filets are thicker. Do not over cook the fish, nobody wants to eat dry fish.

Herb and Lemon White sauce

2 tbsp. butter

2  tbsp. flour

1 cup milk ( feel free to add more)

a handful of chopped parsley and dill

rind of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

 Now while the fish is cooking, heat butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour and cook until buttery aroma is prominent.

 Stir  the milk, stir until no lumps remain in the sauce. 

Add the chopped herbs and lemon rind, season with salt and pepper. Done!

Serve salmon with the herb and lemon white sauce. Enjoy!