Simple Poached Salmon Recipe

The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Brad, Riley, Decorah-the-dog and I got in the car at 5:30am on July 13th and drove until about 10:00pm. Riley slept a total of 20 minutes the whole day. Decorah-the-dog bolted out of the car at a gas station and got hit by a car (she's fine, thankfully) and we all felt a little bit of "what on earth were we thinking?" as we drove through Nebraska and into Iowa. But that night, we stayed with some dear friends from our Luther College days. That was all we needed to remind us that this trip was going to be worth it in so many ways. The next morning, we lingered at our friends house after enjoying some scrambled eggs, avocado, and toast (my favorite breakfast combo!), and headed further east. We spent the next night in Indiana with some family that we rarely get to see. The next day, we drove north to Saugatuck, Michigan to stay with friends we met in Tokyo. They have a summer home there and are very close to the lake. We spent time chatting about our days in Japan, wondering what the coming years will hold for us all, and feeling determined to make this trip a yearly event.

For the most part, the majority of the trip went smoothly. We had a few bumps in the road but we all made it from Michigan to Minnesota in one piece, even after getting lost on the Upper Penninsula in Michigan at 1:00am. It's scary-dark there at night. There are no street lights, very few buildings, and when there is a bridge closed things get very complicated, as we found out.

Family Portrait @ Lake Michigan

In spite of all the bumps in the road, we have made some wonderful memories on this trip. I got to meet up with some blogger buddies, which was SO great. Living in Japan, I found myself wishing that I could meet more people from the blogging community in person. (It's a little difficult when you live on the other side of the globe.) So this was a great thing to be present for. We enjoyed a little lunch, some cocktails, and got to know each other a little better. Thanks to Kristen from Dine & Dish, Liz from The Lemon Bowl, and Sheila from Eat 2 Gather for being so nice and welcoming!

Torch Lake

Decorah Swimming in Michigan

Now, Riley and I are in Minnesota with my parents, Brad and Decorah-the-dog have gone back to Colorado, and we are soaking in what little is left of summer. We just got back from Duluth yesterday, which was magical as always. I'll write more about that later. For now, I want to share one of my new favorite ways to prepare salmon: poached. It's light, simple, and healthy with lots of fresh flavor using seasonal ingredients. I have always loved salmon. It was one of my favorite foods in Japan, too. We would have it at least once a week at our house and it was always the first type of sushi we would order. You can't go wrong with a classic, right? Riley loves salmon too, which is great because it has so many good things in it to help him grow. That makes everyone happy!

Salmon Monster!

He's huge, isn't he? He'll be 2 years old in 4 months. FOUR MONTHS. Just sayin'.

Salmon for Poaching

This salmon is poached in white wine, a tiny bit of butter, and lots of fresh herbs. I use whatever is available, but I've written my favorite combination in the recipe below. From start to finish, this takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and dirties very few dishes (always a plus at my house).

All you need is a skillet with a lid and you're all set!

Herbs for Poaching Liquid

Poached Salmon Recipe

How to Poach Salmon

I used salmon without the skin, which worked well in my nonstick skillet. Skin-on is the more traditional way to go, but either way will work beautifully. If you have salmon that has an especially low amount of fat in it, I would suggest adding a touch more butter to the poaching liquid but that is totally optional.

Incidentally, this meal is the perfect light solution to dinner after a long road trip. Perfect with a salad of mixed greens, blueberries, and Gorgonzola cheese.

Simple Poached Salmon

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 lb salmon fillets or large piece of salmon
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 bunch fresh chives
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• salt and black pepper

Season the salmon with salt and black pepper.

In a large, nonstick skillet, combine the wine, water, butter and herbs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the salmon, skin side down if it has skin, and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the salmon and how done you'd like it.

Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.