FRASER ELISABETH TAN, PHD

Champagne Poached Salmon

Something delicious from Emeril Lagasse (and Google!).

EF

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 cups Brut champagne
  • 1/4 cup diced shallots
  • 6 sprigs fresh dill
  • 2 tbsp minced dill
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 4 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed

Champagne Vanilla Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 1 cup champagne
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp champagne vinegar

Directions

  1. Grease a saucepan with the butter. Add the champagne, dill, shallots, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer for 5 minutes.

  2. Add the fish and cook gently for 10 minutes. (If the fish is not submerged in the liquid, flip the fish halfway through. Gently!)

  3. Remove gently with a slotted spoon and serve with Champagne vanilla sauce.

Champagne Vanilla Sauce:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the shallots and Champagne. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pot, then add the beans. Bring to a boil and reduce until almost all liquid is evaporated, about 6 minutes.

  2. Add the cream, bring to a boil and simmer until cream thickens and coats the back of a spoon and is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

  3. Off heat, whisk in the butter a piece at a time. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the champagne vinegar. Serve immediately over fish.

Notes

  • Note that the sauce alone may taste a little vinegary. I was tempted to add a little sugar, but I didn’t, and once it was on the fish, it was delish! so don’t mess with it.