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    Home » Main Courses » Fish & Shellfish Main Courses » Olive Oil Poached Salmon

    Olive Oil Poached Salmon

    Apr 16, 2021 · by Valentina · 17 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    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!Olive Oil Poached Fish (Salmon) on a white platter.

    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.

    cover of Olive Oil cookbook by Mary Platis and Laura Bashar

    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.
    salmon fillets in baking pan

    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.

    salmon fillets in baking pan with thyme and olive oil

    - 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.
    Fillet of oil poached salmon flaked apart with lemon

    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.)

    One fillet of Olive Oil Poached Fish (Salmon) on a white platter with lemon

    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.

    Fillet of oil poached salmon flaked apart with lemon

    Olive Oil Poached Salmon Recipe

    Valentina K. Wein
    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!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 16 minutes mins
    Total Time 21 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 195 kcal

    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

    Calorie count is an estimate only.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 195kcal
    Keywords easy fish dinners, cooking with olive oil
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


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      Chili Crunch Salmon Bites with Broccoli and Potatoes
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura @ Family Spice

      October 04, 2014 at 9:15 am

      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!

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 06, 2014 at 3:45 am

        Thank YOU, Laura. xo

        Reply
    2. Lizthechef

      October 04, 2014 at 3:52 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 06, 2014 at 3:46 am

        Thanks, Liz. Agreed - such an awesome book! 🙂

        Reply
    3. David

      October 04, 2014 at 6:26 pm

      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... 🙂

      Reply
      • Mary Platis

        October 04, 2014 at 9:07 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • valentina

          October 06, 2014 at 3:47 am

          Thank YOU, Mary. I love that ramekin tip! 🙂

          Reply
        • David

          October 07, 2014 at 9:27 pm

          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!

          Reply
      • valentina

        October 05, 2014 at 9:21 pm

        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.

        Reply
    4. Kim Lange

      April 19, 2021 at 6:50 am

      5 stars
      Looks so beautiful and simple with few ingredients, which I love!

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 20, 2021 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you, Kim! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    5. Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!

      April 21, 2021 at 6:43 am

      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.

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 22, 2021 at 9:29 am

        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

        Reply
    6. Barb

      September 11, 2022 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      Salmon sounds delicious! Why couldn't one freeze the leftover oil for future use?

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 11, 2022 at 9:13 pm

        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

        Reply
    7. Marci

      February 17, 2025 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, this is the best salmon recipe I've ever tried! Poaching in olive oil is my go to way to cook fish from now on. I had to cook the fish about 20 minutes, since after 16 minutes it was just 100 degrees. Five more minutes put it at about 117 degrees, fine! Oh my, this fish was barely cooked but not raw and such a beautiful color, which is what actually attracted me to your recipe in the first place. Thank you!

      Note: I would skin the fish and pull out the pin bones first!

      Reply
      • Valentina

        February 18, 2025 at 10:47 pm

        Hi Marci, I'm so happy you loved this recipe -- and that it was both delicious and beautiful. Perfect. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply

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