Poached Salmon With a Creamy Melon-Mint Sauce

The Washington Post, September 3, 2008

• • Course: Main Course
• • Features: Fast, Kid-Friendly

Summary:

Here, melon adds a slight sweetness to a standard sauce for salmon that usually calls for cucumber. To make the sauce more tangy, substitute yogurt for the sour cream.

The dish can be assembled in minutes. Serve at room temperature, or make a few hours ahead, cover and refrigerate; the dish can be served chilled as well.

4 servings

Ingredients:

For the salmon

• • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• • 1 teaspoon salt
• • 4 6-ounce skin-on or skinless salmon fillets, pin bones removed (24 ounces total)

For the sauce

• • 1 cup low-fat or regular sour cream (do not use nonfat)
• • 1 cup 1/4-inch diced cantaloupe
• • 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
• • 1 to 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• • Salt
• • Freshly ground black pepper
• • 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves, plus small sprigs for garnish

Directions:

For the salmon: Have ready a pot large enough to hold the salmon pieces without crowding. Fill it with enough water to cover the pieces by 2 to 3 inches. Add the vinegar and salt. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the salmon pieces. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the poaching water just barely bubbles. Cook, uncovered, to the desired degree of doneness; 1/2-inch-thick fillets will be done in 7 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spatula to transfer to a plate; if using skin-on fillets, discard the skin at this point.

While the salmon is cooking, make the sauce: Combine the sour cream, cantaloupe, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and the chopped mint. Taste and add sugar and/or vinegar as necessary.

Divide the salmon fillets among individual plates. Spoon the melon-mint sauce over each portion. Garnish with mint sprigs; serve at room temperature.

Tip Storing Salmon:

To keep refrigerated salmon as cold as possible, place it on a perforated pan with a second pan underneath to catch drips. Cover the fish completely with crushed ice. Use the salmon within two days.

From "Field Guide to Seafood," by Aliza Green (Quirk Books, 2007)

Recipe Source:

From In Season columnist Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.

410 calories, 26g fat, 8g saturated fat, 124mg cholesterol, 753mg sodium, 7g carbohydrates, n/a dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 36g protein.