Pinot Noir Poached Salmon

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Meat and Fish Internal Temperature Cooking Chart

Click here to learn the interesting story of Pacific Salmon

Check out my article Cooking With Wine

Also be sure and check out more of Linda's great Salmon Recipes and Linda's delicious Fish and Seafood Recipes.
 

Avoid Over Cooking!

The biggest mistake most people make in cooking salmon is to over cook it. Resist the temptation to over cook your salmon until it "flakes." Flaking indicates the salmon is becoming dry and overcooked.

Salmon is fully cooked when the color turns from translucent to opaque (usually white). The U.S. food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest cooking to an Internal Temperature of 145 degrees F.

Buy a good cooking or meat thermometer and please use it!

My neighbor gave me a fresh salmon filet that he had just caught a couple of hours before. Naturally, I wanted to cook and serve this fresh-caught salmon for dinner. Since Pinot Noir wine is a favorite of my husband and I (having a vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes also helps), I decided to try poaching the salmon in the wine. The salmon was wonderful! Very delicate and tasty. Be sure and give this recipe a try!
 

Pinot Noir Poached Salmon

1 salmon fillet or 2 salmon steaks, approximately 1-inch thick
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Coarse kosher salt
Coarsely ground pepper
1 cup Pinot Noir wine
1 cup water
1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Wash salmon and pat dry; squeeze lemon juice over the top of the salmon, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.

In a skillet or frying pan that is 2-inches deep, add wine and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Add salmon in a single layer (skin-side down if using a filet). Cover and simmer approximately 8 to 12 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. (salmon will be slightly opaque in thickest part). Remember the salmon continues to cook after it is removed from the heat source. Carefully remove salmon from pan and transfer onto individual serving plates.

    Approximately cooking times for salmon:
    1/4 to 1/3-inch - 3 to 4 minutes
    1/2 to 3/4-inch - 4 to 6 minutes
    1 to 1 1/2-inch - 8 to 12 minutes

Let the liquid boil until reduced to approximately 1/3 cup. Remove pan from heat. Add the butter and mix it in by swirling the pan. Pour the sauce over the salmon just before serving.

Makes 2 servings.