It looked so yummy that it inspired me to cook, or overcook..rather, salmon for last nights dinner. Did I set out to overcook dinner? I don't enjoy my food tantrums that bad. No, I just wanted a good piece of fish for dinner which doesn't seem too much to ask. You would think that I would just open my new magazine for a recipe but no, I head to the Internet. I guess $4.99 just bought me "inspiration" as opposed to actual recipes I want to use. I swear, only I would buy a gourmet food magazine only to search the Internet for a recipe where the main ingredient is FEATURED on the cover of the magazine. Maybe that should have been a red flag?
I decide to adapt a Cooks Illustrated recipe called "Poached salmon with dill and sour cream sauce". Mmmmmmmm. Doesn't that sound good? I know right? I make a list and run off to the store to get the ingredients (the salmon, I actually had). Oh, I was also excited that I got to use my Christmas saute pan for this recipe. I still haven't quite figured out how to cook normal food in it without needing a chisel to get the food out afterward. Woo hoo! Let's get this party started!
There is a bit of prep to do ahead where you slice lemons and mince shallots and put them in the pan with wine and water and dill stems. Lay your salmon fillets on top of the lemons, bring to a boil....reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 11-16 minutes until the internal temperature (make a note of this step) is 125 degrees. You take the temperature of the fish with an instant read thermometer. I am always excited to use my thermometer. So the timer gets set for 11 minutes and I am mincing dill and measuring out the other ingredients...making rice pilaf yada, yada. Timer goes off, I take the temperature and its barely 100. That's strange. The fish is looking done? Remembering back to the big cookie, and how that too, "looked" done. I set the timer for 4 more minutes and go back to finishing the rest of dinner. The timer goes off again, and as I remove the lid from the pan I instantly know something is amiss. The fish has shrunk and looks dry instead of moist (I can't describe it ....you would have to be there) and almost at the same time as I am reaching for my thermometer I see that it isn't set to Fahrenheit. It's set to Celsius. Celsius! At this point, I don't even NEED to take the internal temperature of the stupid fish to know it's overcooked. I add insult to injury and take the temperature and let's just say, it was way more that 125 degrees Fahrenheit. I announce the "fish is overcooked" and get the response "I'm sure it will be fine". There is a sauce with this recipe so now my thought is to smother the fish in the sauce and it should help. That probably would have been true except this sauce is made with lemon juice, Dijon mustard and shallots. Not the kind of sauce that you want to "smother" anything in really.
So anyways...I did smother the fish with the sauce. The fish was horribly overcooked. I have two more dinners worth of overcooked fish to eat which I guess serves me right.
Here's the recipe. Make sure your thermometer is set to Fahrenheit. Far-en-height!
Ingredients
2 lemons
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill fronds , plus 8-12 dill stems
2 small shallots , minced (about 4 tablespoons)
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup water
1 skinless salmon fillet (1 3/4 to 2 pounds), about 1 1/2 inches at thickest part, white membrane removed, fillet cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces (see note)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
1. Cut top and bottom off 1 lemon; cut into 8 to ten 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut remaining lemon into 8 wedges and set aside. Arrange lemon slices in single layer across bottom of 12-inch skillet. Scatter dill stems and 2 tablespoons minced shallots evenly over lemon slices. Add wine and water.
2. Place salmon fillets in skillet, skinned-side down, on top of lemon slices. Set pan over high heat and bring liquid to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until sides are opaque but center of thickest part is still translucent (or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 125 degrees), 11 to 16 minutes. Remove pan from heat and, using spatula, carefully transfer salmon and lemon slices to paper towel-lined plate and tent loosely with foil.
3. Return pan to high heat and simmer cooking liquid until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl; discard solids. Return strained liquid to skillet; whisk in Dijon mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons shallot. Simmer over high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tablespoons. Whisk in sour cream and juice from 1reserved lemon wedge; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill fronds. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Using spatula, carefully lift and tilt salmon fillets to remove lemon slices. Place salmon on serving platter or individual plates and spoon sauce over top. Serve, passing reserved lemon wedges separately.
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