Boiled Salmon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •16- to 18-inch fish poacher with fitted rack, or a deep oval covered pan with a doubled muslin sling
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large saucepan for the potatoes
• •Large oval serving platter
• •Fish slice and serving fork
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Fit the salmon

   Choose a pan that holds the salmon without bending it and without leaving great lakes of empty space around it. Ask the fishmonger to trim the head or tail only if needed to make it fit. Lay the cleaned fish flat on the poacher rack; if your pan has no rack, settle it on a doubled length of clean unbleached muslin or cheesecloth, leaving enough cloth at both ends to serve as lifting handles. A snug vessel needs less court-bouillon and supports the fish as it cooks.

   Check the cavity, especially along the backbone, for any dark bloodline the fishmonger missed. Scrape it away and rinse briefly under a gentle stream, then clean the sink immediately.
2. 2

   Start the accompaniments

   Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and add the salt. Bring them to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife enters without resistance but the pieces remain whole. Drain them well, return them to the dry pan, and shake over low heat for a minute so their surfaces turn floury. Keep them covered. Hold the prepared Hollandaise sauce or Nantua sauce according to its own recipe, ready to send to the table separately.

3. 3

   Begin the cold poach

   Set the salmon and its rack in the empty poaching pan. Pour over enough cold court-bouillon to cover the fish by about ½ inch, reserving 1 cup in the cold. Cover the pan and follow The Boiling of Fish in Salted Water (No. 776) for a whole fish: bring the liquid gradually toward the boil over medium heat. If the pan spans two burners, keep both low and rotate the pan halfway through so one end doesn't race ahead.

4. 4

   Quiet the boil

   The instant bubbles break fully across the surface, uncover the pan, skim away any pale foam, and move the vessel off the heat. Lower the burner as far as it will go, then return the pan only when the liquid has quieted to 185 to 190°F (85 to 88°C), with no more than an occasional tremble. If it boiled hard and the skin began to split, add the reserved cold court-bouillon immediately and stop touching the fish. Ça se rattrape: the rack will hold it together, and the parsley and carving will disguise a small split. Continued boiling cannot be rescued.

5. 5

   Finish below boiling

   Partly cover the pan and maintain that quiet heat, never a rolling boil. Begin checking after 10 minutes; a salmon of this size generally needs 12 to 20 minutes after the liquid first reaches the boil. The flesh at the thick shoulder should separate from the backbone with gentle pressure, and an instant-read thermometer inserted beside, not against, the bone should register 130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C). It will rise slightly while draining. For diners who require fully cooked fish, continue to 145°F (63°C). If the center is still underdone after lifting, lower the salmon back into 185°F (85°C) court-bouillon for 3 minutes, then check again.

6. 6

   Drain and dress

   Lift the rack or cloth sling slowly and let the salmon drain over the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer it to a large warmed oval platter, withdrawing the sling carefully so the skin remains intact. The old napkin-and-drainer presentation belonged to a larger service; a warm platter is its honest home equivalent. Arrange the dry, floury potatoes around the salmon and tuck the fresh parsley leaves and small sprigs along its sides.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Bring the prepared Hollandaise sauce or Nantua sauce to the table in a warm sauceboat rather than pouring it over the whole fish. Cut the upper fillet into broad portions and lift them from the backbone with a fish slice; when the top is served, remove the backbone and portion the lower fillet. Give each plate potatoes and sauce generously. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a small whole salmon with bright eyes, firm flesh, red gills, and a clean sea smell. Technique comes first, but poaching exposes stale fish plainly, so buy it from a counter that turns its stock quickly.
• •A close-fitting pan matters more than owning a formal fish-kettle. It reduces the amount of court-bouillon required, heats more evenly, and prevents the fish from being knocked about as it cooks.
• •Choose one sauce, not a parade. Hollandaise sauce, Mousseline sauce, Melted butter, Shrimp sauce, Nantua sauce, and Cardinal sauce are the source's own companions. Hollandaise keeps the salmon at the center; Nantua brings a richer shellfish character.
• •For thick salmon slices rather than a whole fish, reverse the start exactly as the source directs: lower them into already boiling court-bouillon, move the pan away from the heat immediately, and finish without boiling. Thin slices dry before the center can remain juicy.
• •A dry white Burgundy, Chablis, or restrained Loire Chenin Blanc has enough freshness for the salmon and enough body for Hollandaise. Serve it cool, not numbingly cold.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the court-bouillon up to 2 days ahead. Cold liquid is essential because a whole fish must begin its cooking from cold.
• •Have the fishmonger clean and trim the salmon earlier the same day. Keep it covered over a tray of ice in the coldest part of the refrigerator, never sitting directly in melting water.
• •Nantua sauce may be prepared ahead and reheated gently according to its own recipe. Hollandaise is best made shortly before serving and held warm for no more than about 45 minutes.
• •Peel and cut the potatoes up to 4 hours ahead, keeping them submerged in cold water. Drain before cooking so the measured salt seasons fresh water rather than a bowl full of released starch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 495g)