Poached Salmon with Beans + Basil Mayonnaise

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: Keep your dinner routine calm and easy with this summer meal.

As the days grow warmer, my palette gets simpler -- I want to eat clean flavors, which means to me that I crave the taste of vegetables as they are from the garden and little else. This meal is exactly that: gently poached salmon alongside steamed green beans and potatoes and a dab of homemade mayonnaise. Preparing the meal feels equally quiet and wholesome; making the sauce is as easy as pulling out a solitary bowl and whisk for a single egg and a slow drizzle of oil. If salmon is too expensive in your market, opt for boneless skinless chicken breasts to poach -- they, too, work well with gentle cooking, clean vegetables, and herb-scented mayonnaise.

Poached Salmon with Beans + Basil Mayonnaise

Serves 4

1/2 cup white wine
1 salmon fillet (about 12 ounces)
1/2 lemon, sliced plus 1 tablespoon juice
2 basil sprigs plus 1/4 cup leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound trimmed green beans
4 medium new potatoes, quartered
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup olive oil

See full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright