Whole Oven Poached Salmon Recipes

So you've decided to have a party and you want to serve a whole salmon recipe - but don’t have a big enough pan to cook it in? No worries, most of us have a large roasting pan and with oven poached salmon recipes, you’ll have a low carb, no effort, High WOW factor.

A very accommodating recipe, Salmon whole poached or baked, is delicious served hot or cold.

Ingredients serves 16 - 20

• 3.5kg/8lb Whole Salmon
• 150g/50z unsalted butter
• Sea Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Fennel or Dill
• Lemon Segments
• Watercress or Flat leaf parsley to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

Take a large piece of aluminium foil and lay it over a baking tray with edges or roasting tray big enough to take the Whole Salmon recipe.

Wash & dry the salmon then spread softened butter liberally all over the fish (this will help to make a sauce to go over the Salmon) and pop some inside the cavity along with some flavouring herbs such as fennel leaves or dill.

Season with salt & pepper.

Seal the aluminium foil loosely around the Salmon making sure that all the edges are sealed as well.

Oven poach for about 10 minutes per 1lb/450g.

To test for doneness, open the foil, insert a knife into the flesh along the backbone of the fish at the thickest point (usually where the flesh meets the head). The flesh should come away from the bone easily with no trace of blood.

If it’s not quite done, close the foil up again, and bake for a further 5 - 10 minutes.

To Serve

If serving the Salmon hot, simply spoon the cooking juices over the fish and accompany simply with new potatoes and peas or broccoli.

Alternatively make a type of Hollandaise by whisking the hot cooking liquor (including the melted butter) into the beaten yolks of 2 fresh eggs.

Season with lemon juice to taste.

If serving cold, place the oven poached salmon recipe on a serving platter and just before serving skin the top of the salmon by cutting around the back of the head behind the gills and peeling the skin until you reach the tail. Cut the skin straight across the base of the tail and remove.

Garnish with watercress, fennel or flat leaf parsley and lemon segments.

Serve with a good quality bought mayonnaise or make your own (it’s not as hard as you think and can be made in a food processor).