Name: Poached Salmon Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 24 oz potato (peeled and quartered); 1/2 tsp salt (divided in half); 1/2 tsp pepper (divided in half); 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 cup water; 2 oz celery (whole or cut into chunks); 2 oz carrots (peeled and cut into sticks); 2 oz onions (peeled and cut in half); 2 bay leaves; 0.25 oz dill (whole); 28 oz skinless boneless salmon (4 fillets); 1/4 cup heavy cream; 1/4 cup whole milk; 2 tsp lemon juice; 1 oz tomato (diced); 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)

This poached salmon recipe is a simple instruction for healthy, flavorful salmon fillets.

Trying to eat less fat can sometimes be difficult as there aren’t many options to go with. So today, we’re expanding your fat-free food choices with this saucy, flaky, extra-fragrant poached salmon.

If you’re in a hurry, click here to instantly see our poached salmon recipe. Or, scroll along and learn more about this dish.

What Is Poached Salmon?

Everyone knows poached eggs, and it’s a really amazing way to cook eggs. We bring a pot of water to a boil, crack in one egg, wait for it to cook, and serve it over avocado toast.

But poaching takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to other foods.

To poach salmon, we only add around 1 cup of water to a pot, bring it to a boil, and add the salmon fillets in.

Unlike with boiling, we don’t submerge the fillets, as we want to avoid the risk of taking out all the natural moisture of the fish. It’s also more convenient than steaming, as it doesn’t require a steaming basket.

In this poached salmon recipe, we don’t just add water to the pot, we also add plenty of vegetables and herbs. The purpose is to infuse the water with flavors and fragrances, and as the fillets cook, they’ll become extra flavorful.

Is Poached Salmon Healthy?

Poached salmon is a healthy dish, nutrient-wise. Salmon is a good source of proteins and is packed with omega 3, a type of good fat rarely found in nature.

Omega 3 has been proven to have many health benefits, especially for the heart. It’s proven to raise good cholesterol levels, and help to prevent plaque formation.

In terms of cooking method, poaching is a good way to help you consume less fat. If this is not your aim, then poaching is not much healthier than frying, searing, or stir-frying.

So if you want more flavorful, healthy salmon dishes, check out our other salmon recipes:

Homemade Salmon Meuniere: a fancy take on salmon…
Easy, Pan Seared Blackened Salmon Recipe: crisp taco filled…
Simple Broiled Salmon. Flavorful salmon served over a bed of quinoa and asparagus.
Recipe for Crusted Salmon. A fancy take on salmon with a breadcrumb coating, parmesan cheese, baby carrots, and fresh asparagus.

Best Seasoning for Salmon

Salmon is really amazing — simply season it with salt and pepper, and it’s already tasty. Today, besides infusing salmon with aromas, we’re also making a basic lemon cream sauce to drizzle over:

1. Lemon Cream Sauce

We start off by reducing the poaching water down to a quarter of a cup. A cream sauce needs a flavorful stock as the base, so we’re using the poaching water instead of chicken stock.

When it’s reduced, remove the veg and herbs, and add milk, cream, lemon juice, garlic, onions, and chopped-up tomatoes. It’ll be really creamy, fragrant, and packed with flavors.

If this lemon cream isn’t to your taste, you can try making our recipe with an authentic lemon piccata sauce, or the classic dill sauce.

2. Dill Sauce

Dill sauce is a combination of sour cream, dill, mustard, milk, lemon juice, and garlic. It’s tangy and creamy, with a pungent kick from the mustard — works every time with salmon.

3. Teriyaki Sauce

We love this classic Japanese sauce so much so that we gloss it onto all types of meat. In this healthy salmon teriyaki recipe, it adds to the satisfying experience of biting into a buttery piece of meat and gives it a smooth finish.

4. Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey and mustard are two uncomplicated elements that turn a simple dish delicious. Simply whisk these together and end up with a quick and easy cook salmon recipe.

And if you don’t fancy sauces, you can see our Japanese miso salmon recipe, this healthy dinner salmon recipe.

How to Make Poached Salmon

Here’s an overview of our poached salmon recipe. For a more detailed guide, scroll down to the recipe section.

Microwave the potatoes

Season and mash them

Poach the salmon

Make the cream sauce

Plate and serve!

Since the potatoes and the fish cook separately, you can switch up the steps to save time. For instance, here’s what I would do:

Place potatoes in the microwave;
Add water and veggies to a pot and heat it over medium heat;
By now the potatoes would be done, so I’d season and mash them;
After mashing the potatoes, the salmon would be cooked so it’s time to make the sauce;
Plate and serve!

Cooking Salmon from Frozen Salmon

Have frozen salmon fillets in your freezer and want to poach/cook them? Let’s start by either thawing them out first, or cook it using methods we mentioned in this article.

If you own a microwave, use the defrosting function and it’ll take around 15 minutes to thaw the fillets.

If you don’t have a microwave, you don’t have to leave them on the countertop to cool gradually. There is a quicker way to do it.

Wrap your fillets in cling film, and submerge them in a large bowl. Leave the bowl under running water in the sink for about half an hour.

Water transfers heat better than air, so doing this helps to “heat” up the fillet using room-temperature tap water. And by leaving the tap running, we speed up the thawing process.

How Long Does Poached Salmon Last?

Cooked salmon (or fish in general) lasts for a maximum of 4 days in the fridge, and up to 2 months in the freezer. So you can store leftovers in the fridge and have it within the week after a quick reheating.

To store leftovers, it is best to keep everything in a container that’s microwave-friendly or oven-safe. Or, place the salmon and mashed potatoes in two different containers/dishes and cover them with plastic wrap.

If you intend to keep the meal to have it, say, next week, we recommend freezing. Keep the salmon, the sauce, and mashed potatoes in different containers, seal, and freeze away.

To reheat, simply poach the salmon one more time in plain water. For the sauce and potatoes, either microwave them or reheat them in separate skillets.

Since it’s super quick, we recommend you make the mashed potatoes beforehand and have all the ingredients measured and prepped. Then all you have to do is poach the salmon and make the sauce, which only takes around 10 minutes in total.

What to Serve with Poached Salmon

We often pair our dishes with sides that have a different texture and flavors so the meal gives a variety of mouthfeels.

1. Mashed potatoes

Salmon needs some healthy carbs as it’s already packed with proteins and healthy fats. So in between bites, it’d be very comforting to have something creamy and buttery.

Potatoes, in general, make a phenomenal option for salmon dishes. This homemade salmon meuniere are also excellent variations to pair with potatoes.

For more seafood tips, check out the best way to cook salmon burgers, how to make a simple but fancy main dish, and have a go at our perfect main dish for salmon lovers.

2. Watermelon arugula salad

To cut through the richness, there’s nothing better than a tangy, fresh salad. We especially like this one because it has juicy watermelon cubes and fragrant arugula in lemon dressing.

3. Orange juice

To end the meal, simply have a classic orange juice. It’s quick, nutritious, delicious, and super simple to make.

Recipes	Course	Calories	Saturated fat	Sodium
Poached Salmon	Main Dish	473	8.8 g	431 mg
Watermelon Arugula Salad	Side Dish	205	3.2 g	282 mg
Simply Orange Juice	Beverage	79	0.0 g	6 mg
Total		757	12.0 g	719 mg

Nutritional values in this table vary somewhat to those below due to different app calculations. Read more...

Poached Salmon Recipe

What Is Poached Salmon?

Is Poached Salmon Healthy?