Olive Oil Poached Salmon has an incredibly delicious, succulent texture. It's excellent (and beautiful!) alongside salads and green vegetables like asparagus and artichokes. You'll want to make it again and again!
Melissa's Produce hosted a lovely book signing luncheon for Laura Bashar and Mary Platis when their book, Cooking Techniques and Recipes with Olive Oil came out.
I left the event inspired to cook with olive oil in new ways.
Cooking Techniques and Recipes with Olive Oil
In their book, co-authors and award-winning food bloggers, Laura and Mary, take us from the history of olive oil, olive oil production and varieties, to cooking techniques and dozens of scrumptious recipes. The recipes are easy-to-follow and exquisitely photographed.
Laura's food blog is Family Spice and Mary's is California Greek Girl.
Poaching Fish in Olive Oil
I've always been curious about poaching with olive oil and love that an entire chapter in Laura and Mary's book is dedicated to it.
Poaching in olive oil is a technique that's simple and creates an unbelievably delicious result.
How to do it
There are a few different methods to poach fish in oil.
Some start on the stove and finish in the oven. Some have you put the fish in already warmed oil, carefully monitoring its temperature. I've found this easy method works well every time.
- Skin the fish if it isn't already.
- Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
- Place the fish fillets in a deep enough baking dish so that they can be in a single layer and covered with the oil.
- Pour just enough olive oil over the fish to barely cover it.
- Place the baking dish in a preheated 225°F oven and poach only until the salmon is cooked through. (In this recipe for approximately 1½ inch thick Sockeye Salmon, about 20 minutes.)
More detailed instructions are below.
What to do With Leftover Oil From Poaching Fish
- Keeping in mind it will have a subtle fishy taste and smell, you can reuse the oil from poaching the fish the same day only.
- You can use it in a vinaigrette or sauce, or for sautéing.
- Before you reuse the oil, bring it to a low boil, cool it, and then strain any solids out.
(You can actually freeze the used oil once it's completely cooled. Here’s a guide to freezing oils. Here again, it should be brought to a low boil and strained before it's reused.)
Cooking Techniques and Recipes with Olive Oil is a great book to have in your collection. I love it, and think you will too. You can order yours here.
I hope you love Olive Oil Poached Salmon as much as I do!
More delicious salmon recipes:
- Cabbage Wrapped Salmon
- Spicy Salmon Basil Burgers
- Blackened Mexican Salmon
- California King Salmon Recipe
- Baked Cilantro Chimichurri Salmon
- Salmon Bowl with Peach and Avocado
Cookbook cover photo courtesy of Two Extra Virgins.
Olive Oil Poached Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- about 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- a few sprigs fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary)
- 1¾ pound salmon fillet
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 225°F and adjust a rack to the center.
- Prepare the salmon for poaching. Place the salmon in a baking dish that's approximately 9 x 13 x 2 inches -- one that will hold the fish in one layer. Pour in the oil, just to cover the fish. This may be a bit more or less than 2 cups. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Poach the salmon. Place the pan in the preheated 225°F oven and poach just until it's cooked through, about 16 minutes.
- Garnish and adjust the seasonings. Use a slotted spatula to remove the salmon from the oil and place it on a serving platter. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and herbs, and sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
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Laura @ Family Spice
I'm so glad you liked the book and I love that we inspired you to try your own creation. That's what it's all about! Thank you, Valentina, for supporting us!
valentina
Thank YOU, Laura. xo
Lizthechef
These 2 virgins are writing group buddies - and their book totally ROCKS!! Your support is so appreciated, I am certain - it's a terrific cookbook.
valentina
Thanks, Liz. Agreed - such an awesome book! 🙂
David
I have two questions, as I will be making this soon! First, how long did it take to get the oil to 180°F? And second, is there any other use for the oil once you have poached in it? (I hate to see good olive oil going to waste... 🙂
Mary Platis
Thank you for reviewing our book and attending Melissa's! Your post is beautiful and I enjoyed reading it - and to answer David. You can use the oil for a dressing or sauce for the item you poached, But, discard it after the day of cooking if using a meat,fish, or chicken.
A tip for poaching: use a ramekin in the middle of the pan to help eliminate using more olive oil.
valentina
Thank YOU, Mary. I love that ramekin tip! 🙂
David
I am very excited to try this and thank you, Mary, for the tip. I didn't think the oil would have any further use but I inured it was worth asking!
valentina
David, you can only use the oil again the same day -- in a sauce, dressing, to sauté, etc. Then, sadly it should be tossed. As for the time to get to the temp to 180 . . . I'd say less than 10 min. (Though, unfortunately I didn't time that part so I might be off.) I'll check to see if the book might say. 🙂 And Mary answered this in a comment for you, too.
Kim Lange
Looks so beautiful and simple with few ingredients, which I love!
valentina
Thank you, Kim! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
I've never heard of poaching in oil before! How interesting! Sad that you can't keep the oil around for more than a day, but on the other hand, vinaigrette over greens would go perfectly with this fish, I'd imagine.
valentina
Hey Jeff, I agree about the oil. Guess we could make a ton of salad to go with the fish? 😉 Hope you give it a go sometime and love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Barb
Salmon sounds delicious! Why couldn't one freeze the leftover oil for future use?
valentina
Hi Barb. Thanks for writing in. Great question! Yes, you actually can freeze the oil, and I will add this to the post. Just be sure that before you reuse the oil, bring it to a low boil, cool it, and then strain any solids out. Here's a guide to freezing oils that should be helpful. Enjoy, and I hope you have a great week. 🙂 ~Valentina