How do I know when the poached salmon is finished cooking?

You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the fish. If the thickest part is at 135 or higher, the salmon is ready. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can flake off a piece of the fish and see if flakes off easily.

The couscous contains gluten, but you could substitute this for a gluten free pasta or even cooked rice.

Tomato Poached Salmon with Charred Cabbage Couscous

Name: Tomato Poached Salmon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 shallot; 2 cloves garlic, minced; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake; Kosher salt; Black pepper; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1.5 lbs salmon; 1 pint of cherry tomatoes; 2 cups of water; 1 bay leaf; 1 cup dried couscous; 1 bunch of scallions, chopped; 1 tablespoon oil; ½ head of savoy cabbage, cut into 1” pieces; Kosher salt; Black pepper

Description

This is my take on Alison Roman’s Tomato Poached Fish – it’s brothy deliciousness topped on a bed of charred scallion cabbage and couscous for a well balanced and incredibly tasty 30 minute meal.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
Kosher salt
Black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lbs salmon
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
2 cups of water
1 bay leaf

For the charred scallion cabbage couscous:

1 cup dried couscous
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 head of savoy cabbage, cut into 1” pieces
Kosher salt
Black pepper

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Instructions

Bring a pot up to a boil for the couscous. Once at a boil, salt the water and cook according to package instructions. Usually, this is about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, cut the cabbage – halve the cabbage, slice out the core, then cut into 1” pieces. The inner layers will release, so there’s no need to peel the cabbage layers. Set aside in a large bowl.
Prep the shallot and garlic – thinly slice the shallot and mince the garlic.
Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add the olive oil, tomatoes, shallots, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Prep the salmon – cut into 6 ounce portions, then season each side with kosher salt.
After 5 minutes, open the lid and add the minced garlic and red pepper flake. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the 2 cups of water, another big pinch of salt, and a bay leaf. Bring this up to a simmer, then add the salmon and lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered, and make sure the fish is fully submerged in the liquid.
After 5 minutes, gently flip the fish (this is optional, but I do it).
While the fish is cooking, finish the couscous. In a cast iron pan (or you can use the same pan as what you cooked the couscous in), add 2 tablespoons of oil. Reserve some scallion green tops for garnish, and add the remaining scallions to the pan. Cook until they are dark brown, about 2 minutes.
To the charred scallions, add the chopped cabbage, and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the cabbage is also slightly browned at the edges, season with a kosher salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and add the cooked couscous. Give everything a stir.
Once the salmon has been poaching for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and taste the broth. Season with more kosher salt and black pepper as desired.
Plate the couscous into a shallow bowl. Top with a piece of salmon and several spoonfuls of the broth. Garnish with a few sliced green scallions, and serve immediately.

Equipment

Global Vegetable Knife

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Notes

Tip 1 – Make sure to lower the heat BEFORE you add the fish into the broth. You want to bring your poaching liquid up to a simmer, but then reduce the heat so it is barely simmering. This will ensure that the fish very slowly cooks and get that’s perfect poached fish texture.

Tip 2 – Cover the cherry tomatoes and shallot as they sauté. This might not be the most traditional cooking technique, but it helps with oil and juices splattering all over the stove. I haven’t noticed a difference in flavor when moving to this method, and it saves me time during cleanup!

Tip 3 – Char the scallions on medium high heat until they are brown and look almost burnt. They will continue to cook with the cabbage, but you want most of the flavor developed before adding the cabbage. If you need to add the cabbage in 2 different batches, feel free to do so.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Quick and easy
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American