Poached Salmon With Cucumber Sauce

Photo: flickr user The Gifted Photographer

Ingredients

4 Salmon fillets - (2" thk, 6 to 8 oz ea)

1 quart Water

2 teaspoons Salt

3 tablespoons Wine vinegar

Dill sprigs for garnish

1 pound Cucumbers peeled, seeded

1 tablespoon White wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Salt

1 small Onion grated

1 cup Sour cream

3 tablespoons Lemon juice

1 tablespoon Sugar

3 tablespoons Snipped fresh dill

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Grate cucumber and toss with vinegar and salt in a colander. Set aside for 30 minutes to drain. With your hands squeeze juices from cucumber. Combine cucumber in a mixing bowl with remaining sauce ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Skin salmon fillets and remove bones. Fill a wide saucepan with water, about 3 inches deep. For one quart of water, add 2 teaspoons salt and 3 tablespoons vinegar; adjust proportions accordingly for more or less water. Bring to a boil. Carefully add salmon to pan and adjust heat until water is just below simmering - it should shiver, and not quite bubble. Cook until fish has turned from translucent to opaque and feels springy to touch, about 8 minutes.

Remove salmon with a spatula and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer to serving platter, garnish with sauce and decorate with dill sprigs.

This recipe yields 4 servings.