Fall
CHOCOLATEY POACHED SALMON
- Serves 8
Author Notes
Dark chocolate has always been a favorite of mine. And I've always loved poaching salmon. I hadn't dared to tamper with how I prepare the salmon, since it's always met with acclaim by my guests. Nevertheless the chocolate bits were on the counter - and serendipitously I added a layer of them to the fish! —THE MATH CHEF
What You'll Need
Ingredients
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8
slices of salmon, filleted, with the skin left on, approximately 6 ozs. each
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4
large lemons, juicy
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12
bay leaves
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2 tablespoons
sea salt or kosher salt
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3
large carrots, preferably organic
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3
celery stalks, preferably deeply pigmented
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1
large red onion, or alternatively a sweet Vidalia onion
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10
whole black pepper balls
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10
whole white pepper balls
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1
bottle of Chardonnay good drinking quality wine
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25
dark chocolate bits, each approximately half the size of a standard marble.
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, on the "fine" setting
Directions
- Soak the bay leaves in filtered water salted with the sea salt or kosher salt, then rinse with cold filtered water.
- Peel the carrots, and continuing to use the peeler, shave the carrot and transfer the shavings to an oblong heavy-bottomed stainless steel poacher.
- Remove all of the leaves and outer layers of the celery stalks. Then dice them into half-inch cubes, and toss into the poacher.
- Peel and dice the onion and place in the poacher along with the whole black and white pepper balls.
- Put enough filtered water into the poacher to cover the ingredients, cover the poacher, and bring to a boil atop the stove.
- Lower the flame, introduce the steaming insert, and place the salmon fillet slices, skin side down, on top of the steaming insert.
- Take a knife and make surgical-like incisions in each fillet, inserting bay leaves into these pockets.
- Halve the lemons and squeeze them, filtering out the seeds by using a sieve.
- Pour the lemon juice directly over the salmon slices.
- Uncork the Chardonnay, pour it in a sweeping motion over the salmon slices, and restore the cover.
- After 20 minutes, use a fork to test the "doneness" of the salmon.
- Remove all of the bay leaves. Place the salmon fillet slices on a platter, and rain the chocolate bits over the salmon.
- Alternatively, keep the salmon in the poacher, refrigerate, and serve cold two hours later, adding the chocolate bits at that time.
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