Poached Salmon

Ingredients

Maltaise Sauce

• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• Salt, to taste

Poached Salmon

• 4-6 oz. Atlantic salmon portions (Superior Foods Featured Item: #68275 – (Verlasso)
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tbsp butter, sliced
• Fennel bulb, ½” slices
• Orange slices

Grilled Fennel

• Fennel, sliced ½ “ thick
• Olive oil (Superior Foods Featured Item: #42402 – (Soul of Creta)
• Salt and pepper

Salmon Plating

• Orange supremes
• Tarragon leaves

Preparation

Maltaise Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, add the orange juice and vinegar. Simmer over medium heat until the juice reduces by half (about 2 tablespoons remaining). Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
2. Place the egg yolks and the cooled citrus reduction in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. (Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and doubles in volume.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat. Slowly drizzle the warm, melted butter into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Add it drop-by-drop at first so the eggs don’t split, then in a slow, steady stream until all the butter is incorporated and you have a thick, creamy sauce.
4. Whisk in the orange zest and season with salt to taste. Keep the bowl over warm (but not boiling) water until you are ready to plate.

Poached Salmon

1. In a large  skillet, create a bed using the sliced fennel and orange.
2. Season your salmon fillets generously with salt. Lay the fillets directly on top of the aromatic bed. 
3. Pour the white wine and water around the fish (the liquid should not submerge the fillets entirely). Add butter pieces over the fish and liquid.
4. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Let it poach gently for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the salmon) until the fish flakes easily or reaches an internal temperature of 135° F.

Grilled Fennel

1. Gently remove fennel slices from the poaching liquid and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Grill or char in a high heat cast iron to get some nice color on the fennel.
2. For plating lay a piece of grilled fennel down, followed by your salmon portion. Spoon over maltaise sauce, and garnish with orange supremes and herb leaves.

Tips

The maltaise sauce is traditionally made with blood orange,  but regular orange can be subbed as was done here.