What is Poaching?
Poaching is a gentle cooking process that uses moist heat from a liquid without fat. This easy citrus poached salmon recipe uses the shallow poaching technique, which cooks the salmon above the liquid on a bed of herbs and vegetables. Another method, the submerged poaching technique, is excellent for poaching chicken. Both ways use cooking liquid, flavorful herbs and vegetables, and a lid while cooking. The Instant Pot provides a perfect new twist on a classic cooking method.
Advantages of Poached Salmon
- Filets can be cooked fresh or frozen.
- No fishy smell remains in the home when poaching salmon.
- No oil is needed with poaching – making this recipe a heart-healthy cooking method.
- Preserves the structure of delicate foods like eggs and fish
- Adds subtle tastes or cuisine nuances by using a variety of flavorful herbs, spices, aromatic fruits, and vegetables.
- Retains moisture and tenderness
- Allows for make-ahead cooking, notably protein served at room temperature
- Provides flavor creativity – pair spices and flavors with the side dishes served at the meal. Look for a theme to get flavor inspiration: Mediterranean, Mexican, Asian.
Great Meal Prep Recipe
This fast, healthy, easy citrus poached salmon recipe is a meal prep dream. Double the recipe and have a delightful dinner with great leftovers for salads and tacos, or add it to a pasta dish later in the week. Since it can be prepared with fresh or frozen salmon, you can buy individually packaged frozen filets. These are usually less expensive than fresh and often on sale.
- Storage: Place leftover salmon in a shallow airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.
- Reheating: I do not recommend reheating salmon as a leftover. It stinks up the house and tends to dry out. Poached salmon is delicious cold or at room temperature. Eat it in a sandwich with mayo and lemon juice. Flake it into pieces and add to salads, tacos, and bagels with cream cheese, or gently stir it into warm pasta.
Ingredient Tips & Substitutions
- Lemons, limes, oranges—use any combination of citrus. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have one of these fruits. Fresh is essential, however, because the zest offers an outstanding taste to the dish.
- Onion or shallot – any color onion (red, white, yellow, or even green) or shallot will work.
- Boneless Center-cut Salmon – Fresh or frozen center-cut (as opposed to the tail pieces) contains the fish’s belly and backside and is uniformly thick and boneless. Watch for sales on wild-caught Atlantic Salmon. Look to see if your store carries wild-caught or sustainably farmed-raised. Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific Ocean, including Sockeye and Coho, are available. Read more about the top six types of salmon from the Spruce Eats.
- Cilantro and Parsley with their stems make a great bed to raise the fish above the water and add flavor. Basil, fennel, celery, or lemongrass will also work.
- Bay Leaves—If you don’t have bay leaves in your kitchen, you can omit them. The recipe has plenty of seasoning from other ingredients.
- Water is a great cooking liquid for salmon, but other liquid options include broth, milk, and even unsweetened coconut milk. Keep the liquid lower than the fish, however.
- Tajin is a Mexican spice blending chili peppers, lime, and sea salt – it adds color and great flavor. A sprinkle of dill or paprika will also work.
Easy Citrus Poached Salmon Flavor Varieties
Try different variations of ingredients that complement the other dishes you are serving for dinner. There are four areas where you can get creative with infusing flavors into the salmon when poaching:
- Poaching Liquid – water, broth, or coconut milk
- Aromatics – flavorful ingredients added to the liquid
- Marinade – ingredients on the salmon
- Garnish or Sauces – added to the salmon after cooking
Poaching Liquid
Water and/or broth are the main ingredients for the poaching liquid. Smaller portions of the following liquids can be included: up to half a cup of wine or coconut milk and 1 – 2 Tablespoons of some of these ingredients: lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, etc.
Aromatics
Aromatics are flavorful herbs and vegetables that are important in a poaching recipe for two reasons: 1) adding flavor, and 2) they provide a buffer or bed that supports the delicate fish above the poaching liquid so the fish does not get soggy. Considerations include carrots, celery, onion, shallot, sliced ginger, sliced or whole peeled garlic, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, lemon slices, parsley, dill, cilantro, bouquet garni (bundle of fresh herbs tied together), a bit of miso paste.
Marinade
I loosely use the term marinade as salmon does not need marinating since it is so tender, but it benefits from flavor infusion for a few minutes. While preparing the other ingredient, I usually let the salmon sit on a plate with a sprinkle of citrus juice and salt and pepper, or ginger and soy sauce is an option.
Garnish or Sauce
A garnish can be as simple as fresh or dried dill or minced parsley with salt, pepper, and lemon wedges. The zest of any citrus provides a bright taste and color. I like Caesar salad with salmon, so I serve extra salad dressing on the table to be dolloped on the fish. Taziki or hollandaise sauce are great options.
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Recipe Steps Using Fresh Salmon
1
Cut salmon to the desired serving pieces and prep ingredients.
2
Place silicone or wire trivet into the cooker and move the handles up and away.
3
Arrange herbs, onion, and bay leaves on the trivet and top off with lemon slices.
4
Pour 1 - 2 cups of water into the cooker. It should just reach the bottom of the lemon slices. Place salmon in the cooker.
5
Lock the lid in place, select the high-pressure cook function, and cook for 5 minutes. Salmon is fully cooked at 145º.
6
Remove salmon from the cooker and garnish with chopped herbs, zest, and citrus wedges.
Recipe steps using frozen salmon
1
No need to thaw frozen fillets when using the Instant Pot. Using frozen fish is convenient and affordable.
2
Fresh and frozen salmon follow the exact directions to prepare the salmon and poaching ingredients. Only the cooking time differs.
3
Set to high pressure and 6 minutes. It takes the cooker longer to come to pressure than fresh fillets because it is frozen.
1
When timer goes off, do a quick release. Check to see that the salmon is uniform color throughout and flakes easily.
2
Or use a digital thermometer to check for doneness. Salmon is cooked at 145º. Leave to rest in cooker to reach desired temperature.
3
Remove salmon to a plate and garnish with seasoning, citrus wedges and parsley or cilantro.
Nutritional Benefits of Salmon
Salmon is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. Take a look at the nutritional panel on the recipe card below! A 6-oz serving (which is generous) contains 72% of your protein, 86% niacin, 225% of B12, and 94% of B6. This recipe works for many diets, including Paleo, Low Fat, Low Carb, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Grain Free, Mediterranean Diet, Gluten Free, and Detox.
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Easy Citrus Poached Salmon – Instant Pot
The Instant Pot perfectly cooks this 8-ingredient recipe for Easy Citrus Poached Salmon. The fast result is a tender, flakey salmon with bright citrus flavors using fresh or frozen fillets.
- Prep Time: 5
- Bring to Pressure: 10
- Cook Time: 6
- Total Time: 21
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Fish & Seafood
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Classic
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
- 1 fresh lemon
- 1 fresh lime
- 1 fresh orange or tangerine
- Zest of lemon, lime, and orange
- 1/2 onion or 1 shallot sliced
- 3/4 pound boneless, center-cut salmon fillet cut crosswise into two individual portions, skin on, fresh or frozen; preferably wild caught or sustainable farm-raised
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cilantro and or parsley leaves and stems – reserve some leaves for garnish
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 – 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon Tajin seasoning* see note below
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:– Zest lemon, lime, and orange and set aside; cut the lemon into thin slices. Wash and dry cilantro and or parsley and leave stems intact. Roughly cut onion or shallots into wedges pieces.
- Prepare Salmon: Place fresh or frozen salmon on a plate, skin side down. Cut orange and lime into four pieces. Use half the orange and lime slices and squeeze juice over the salmon. Reserve the remaining portions for garnish. Sprinkle filets with salt, pepper, and half of the zest, reserving the remainder for garnish. Allow salmon to sit in citrus juice for a few minutes.
- Prepare Instant Pot and Poaching Ingredients: Place the trivet into the Instant Pot and pull the sides up and out of the way. Arrange cilantro and or parsley on top of the trivet, followed by onion, shallot (if using), and bay leaf. Top off with the lemon slices.
- Add Liquid to the pressure cooker: pour 1 cup of water into the cooker. It should just reach the bottom of the lemon slices and no higher. I generally use 2 cups because of the trivet height. The fish should sit above the water.
- Cook: Lock the lid in place and close the pressure release valve. Select the high-pressure cook function and cook fresh for 5 minutes and frozen for 6 minutes. Turn off the cooker and quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid and allow steam to escape away from you. Salmon is safe at 145º on an instant-read thermometer. I remove mine at 135 – 140, then let it sit in the Instant Pot to rest and reach 145º.
- Garnish: Remove the salmon from the cooker by the trivet handles and place it on a cutting board, sheet pan, or heat-safe work surface. Use a fish spatula to transfer the fillets one by one to serving plates or a platter and garnish with chopped herbs, zest, and citrus wedges. I serve with the skin on (which is edible) and allow the individual to choose whether to eat or give to a pet. Sprinkle with Tajin*—see note below.
Notes
* Note: final seasoning can be any favorite flavoring that pairs well with your dinner, such as fresh or dried dill, smoked paprika, or sea salt flakes. Read the label to make sure the ingredients meet your requirements.
When frozen fillets are cooking, it takes the Instant Pot o few more minutes to come to pressure than fresh salmon.
2 responses to “Easy Citrus Poached Salmon – Instant Pot”
Love this recipe for its simplicity and flexibility.
😊 thank you.