It’s amazingly healthy– full of Omega-3s, vitamins B and D, and lean protein It cooks up in only a few minutes, so it’s perfect for fast dinners It seems “fancy,” even though it takes minutes to make It tastes so, so, so good. Especially when it’s poached and smothered in this healthy, creamy lemon caper sauce!
This recipe poaches the salmon, rather than searing or baking it. If you’ve never tried poaching salmon, you are in for a big treat! I love salmon seared as well, but when it’s poached, it comes out super moist and tender with very little effort. There is subtle flavor infused into the fish from the poaching liquid, which in this case is made of wine, water, garlic, and lemon zest. And the sauce. THE SAUCE. I admit: I do have a bit of a sauce obsession. Especially when the sauce involves the briny, salty goodness of capers. As delicious as this salmon is, you are going to be absolutely blown away by this sauce. Theoretically, you can put it on all kinds of things- chicken, steak, other kinds of fish, even pasta! And while it tastes absolutely decadent, rich, and creamy, it’s healthier from the use of Greek yogurt in place of cream. Here’s how to poach the salmon. First, add a half a cup of white wine (I actually used a not-too-sweet Rosé for this, since we got a bottle that we didn’t enjoy drinking didn’t want to waste) to a nonstick skillet. Nonstick is important here. I usually do most of my cooking in my well-loved cast iron skillet, but in the case of fish- especially when poaching- it’s important to use a good nonstick pan (I have this 10-inch Calphalon one and I LOVE it!).
Then, add the salmon to the wine, and add enough water to the pan to almost cover the fish. Add some minced garlic and the zest of one lemon on top of the salmon (you will use the juice to make the sauce in just a moment), along with some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for only about five minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Saute some onion and garlic in olive oil and deglaze with another half cup of wine, reducing until only half of it remains. Add some lemon juice, capers, dill, and butter, then remove from heat and stir in some Greek yogurt (along with salt and pepper) until its creamy and thick. Go ahead… try a spoonful. Or three. Just make sure to save some for the salmon!
Serve your salmon with a generous drizzle of the sauce. If you are having a vegetable and/or grain with the salmon, these are simply more conduits for the sauce, in my opinion! It’s like how at Thanksgiving, you put gravy on everything. Except this sauce MIGHT be better than gravy (those are some serious words I just wrote there, folks, but I stand by my statement).
Can’t get enough salmon? Try these recipes!
Garlic Butter Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies 15-Minute Perfect Poached Salmon with Chive Butter Orange Glazed Salmon Salmon, Arugula, and Feta Frittata One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon and Swiss Chard Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema Seared Salmon with Scallion Butter Seared Salmon with Avocado, Lemon, and Garlic Aioli
Recipe below. If you want to skip the salmon and just make the sauce, I’ll understand :-) Enjoy!
