This simply delicious poached salmon seems fancy, but is actually so fast and easy. It’s perfect for entertaining in a pinch or a quick weeknight dinner, served warm or chilled. Even make it ahead!
Why You’ll Love Poached Salmon
Poached salmon seems swanky and elegant, but it’s really SO quick and easy to make. Poached salmon is also extra moist and tender, because it’s cooked in liquid!
Enjoy it warm or chilled, make it ahead or serve it right away – poaching is such a versatile method of cooking salmon.
Serve your poached salmon as-is, chilled in a Green Goddess Salad or Poached Salmon Salad, or served with one of these Delicious Accompaniments!
How to Make Poached Salmon
The full instructions and step-by-step video are in the recipe card below! This is just an outline.
- Prep.
Place salmon fillets in a baking dish. Add lemon juice OR dry white wine to the dish. Add room temperature water, until the salmon is completely submerged in liquid, with an extra ½ inch of water added above the top of the salmon.
- Poach.
Place salmon in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Poached Salmon Ingredients
- Salmon fillet(s) – I recommend fresh salmon fillets. You can use whatever amount (weight) needed that fits in a baking dish.
- Dry white wine OR lemon juice – I love dry white wine OR lemon juice to add flavor to your poached salmon…whatever you prefer!
- Water – room temp water is added in addition to the lemon juice or wine. The mix of wine or juice and water infuses your salmon with a delicate, delicious flavor.
What to Serve With Poached Salmon
All this simple poached salmon needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper to finish it off. If you’d like to dress it up, here are my favorite ways to serve poached salmon:
- Serve it warm – serve your poached salmon right out of the oven, warm and delicious.
- Serve it chilled – use a slotted spatula to remove salmon from its poaching liquid, onto a clean dish. Chill in the fridge, uncovered, for an hour.
- With lemon wedges & herbs – serve poached salmon with salt and pepper, regular lemon wedges or Meyer lemon wedges, plus fresh herbs like dill or parsley.
- On top of a Green Goddess Salad – yes, this salad is SO GOOD with salmon on top.
- With black currant bacon vinaigrette – my all-time favorite poached salmon recipe is this one: Poached Salmon With Black Currant Bacon Vinaigrette.
- Shredded, as a salad – these Chilled Poached Salmon Salad Lettuce Wraps are amazing.
- Chilled with tzatziki – buy store-bought tzatziki or make your own with the recipe in this Salmon Burgers post!
Storage Tips
If you aren’t ready to enjoy your poached salmon right away, use a slotted spatula to remove salmon from the poaching liquid onto another dish. Refrigerate, uncovered, for an hour before covering and storing in the fridge for 3 days.
Serve chilled or reheat wrapped in foiled at 275 degrees for about 10 minutes until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! Poaching salmon doesn’t require any oil…just lemon juice OR wine and water!
While the USDA recommends salmon is cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, salmon cooked to medium will register 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can use frozen instead of fresh salmon but I recommend thawing it overnight in the fridge before poaching.
I don’t recommend freezing poached salmon because of its delicate, extra moist texture.
Other Salmon Recipes On Tastefully Grace!
- The Ultimate Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast
- Healthy, Fresh Salmon Burgers (With Sauce & Toppings!)
- Lemon, Garlic & Herb Baked Salmon
- Blackened Salmon Avocado Tacos
- 2-Minute Pan Seared Salmon (Scaloppine) with Honey Garlic Glaze
- How To: The Best Baked Salmon
Equipment
- 8×8" or 9×13" baking dish
Ingredients
- Fresh salmon fillet(s) any size that can fit in a baking dish
- ¾ cup dry white wine OR juice of a lemon
- Water room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place salmon fillet(s) in a baking dish.
- Add lemon juice OR dry white wine to the dish. Then add room temperature water, until the salmon is completely submerged in liquid, with an extra ½ inch of water added above the top of the salmon.
- Place salmon in the oven at 375°F for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon. While the USDA recommends salmon is cooked to 145°F degrees, salmon cooked to medium will register 135°F in the thickest part.
- Use a slotted spatula to remove salmon from poaching liquid and serve!
Video
Notes
- Serve poached salmon warm or chilled with salt and pepper, lemon wedges and fresh herbs, or one of the Many Other Ways listed in the blog post above!
- To chill, use a slotted spatula to remove salmon from its poaching liquid, onto a clean dish. Chill in the fridge, uncovered, for an hour.
- The best dry white wines to use for poached salmon are sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- ¾ cup of wine is roughly equivalent to a mini bottle of wine (187mL)!
