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Poached Salmon Steaks with Creamy Dill Sauce

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2 juiced halves reserved)
Coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
4 salmon steaks (each 3/4 inch thick)
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus 8 sprigs, plus more sprigs for garnish
8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup snipped fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 6 quarts water, 6 tablespoons lemon juice, the lemon halves, 1 tablespoon salt, and the peppercorns to a boil in a large, wide pot. Reduce heat; let simmer.

    Step 2

    Season 2 salmon steaks with salt. Place one-quarter each of the fennel and onion and 2 sprigs each dill and parsley on a long sheet of parchment; top with salted steaks, one-quarter each fennel and onion, and 2 sprigs each dill and parsley. Fold the parchment to make a packet. Repeat the process to make another packet.

    Step 3

    With kitchen twine, tie one packet to a wire rack; place in the pot. Cover; poach until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

    Step 4

    Use tongs and a spatula to transfer the rack to a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully open the packet. Remove skin and any brown fat; discard. Transfer the fish to a platter, discarding the vegetables; cover. Cook the other packet. Reserve 1 tablespoon cooking liquid.

    Step 5

    Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and cooking liquid in a bowl. Stir in the chopped dill and chives; season with salt and pepper. Garnish the salmon with dill sprigs; serve with sauce.

The cookbook cover with a blue background and fine typeface.
Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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