Citrus Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce

Hooray for more salmon recipes! I will never have enough different recipes for salmon, it is definitely one of my favorite proteins.

This recipe for Citrus Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce comes courtesy of Alan Jackson and Joann Cianciulli’s new cookbook: The Lemonade Cookbook: Southern California Comfort Food From L.A.’s Favorite Modern Cafeteria  (paid link). The cookbook’s name comes from Chef Alan Jackson’s fast-casual eatery’s Lemonade, which offers fresh and seasonal food in a modern cafeteria setting.

There are some really fantastic sounding recipes in this cookbook. Just look at how I tabbed this book trying to decide which to make for this post!

Included in the cookbook, which features 120 recipe, are:

• Forbidden Rice with Hearts of Palms, Mushrooms and a Jalapeno Vinaigrette
• Bay Shrimp with Cannellini Beans dressed in Shallots and Cayenne Pepper
• Red Miso Short Rib Braise
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
• Unique Lemonade concoctions like Peach Ginger, Pear Basil, and Cantaloupe Sage

 

With descriptions like that, I have to point out that these recipes are surprisingly unfussy and manageable to make at home. I decided to make the salmon because 1. it sounds delicious and 2. I have never poached fish before and I love trying out new techniques.

 

This recipe takes about 40 minutes from start to finish so it is great for a special weeknight dinner (or as a mid-week pick me up!) I changed the ingredients ever so slightly so to see the original, check out the cookbook, available in stores now!

 

From The Lemonade Cookbook by Alan Jackson and Joann Cianciulli. Copyright © 2013 by Alan Jackson and Joann Cianciulli and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Chardonnay)
• 2 oranges, divided
• 2 lemons, divided
• 2 limes, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 fresh dill sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon chopped dill, divided
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 4 (5 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed
• coarse salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 2 cups cooked rice (I used basmati)

 

Note: I am testing out the Samsung Galaxy Camera courtesy of Verizon Wireless, so all photos in this post are taken with the Galaxy Camera. The camera runs on VZW’s 4G LTE network, allowing me to upload photos straight to the web and apps such as Instagram straight from my phone. To check out some of my photos, go to my Instagram and look for the #galaxycamera hashtag. 

 

The Sequoia Grove Chardonnay is perfect for this recipe, with notes of lemongrass and lemon. It pairs really nicely with the citrus used in the recipe. Be sure to save and chill some to enjoy with the meal.

 

Before beginning, juice one of the oranges, one of the lemons, and one of the limes into a small bowl. Slice the remaining orange, lemon, and lime into wheels.

 

Pour the vegetable broth and white wine in a wide, shallow skillet or pot. Add the orange, lemon, and lime juices, the sliced fruit, garlic, dill sprigs, and peppercorns.

Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lemon, lime, and orange slices and dill sprigs and reserve.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper.

Add the fillets to the saute pan; the liquid should come up halfway (mine came up a bit higher, ah well).

Cover and simmer over medium-low heat (you don’t want it to boil) until the salmon is barely opaque in the center, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove the salmon and add to a large serving dish.

Take one cup of the poaching liquid into a separate small pot, discarding the rest of the liquid. Simmer over medium heat until it reduces by half, about 10 minutes.

Whisk in the butter, whole grain and smooth mustard, agave, and chopped dill.

Pour the mustard sauce over the salmon before serving add the reserved lemon, orange, and lime slices to the plate. Serve with cooked rice.

I absolutely INHALED this dish. It is one of the best salmon dishes I’ve ever had!

The mustard sauce had so much flavor and it was great over cooked rice. The flavors are so developed but it’s quite a simple recipe. Who knew citrus, mustard, and salmon would be such a winning combination?