Wholesome Cook
Autumn

Poached salmon with caramelised leeks and mustard dill sauce

I absolutely adore fresh salmon. It could be grilled, smoked, fried or poached – whichever way it is served I will most likely feel like going back for seconds.

Growing up we used to have linner (lunch/dinner just like brunch is a breakfast lunch) at school and one of my favourites was meatballs in a mustard dill sauce. My Mum used to cook a rendition of the dish at home, but since she became pescetarian a little while back she has been serving the sauce with salmon, and I tell you what, it works superbly!

The good news is that both the leek and the mustard and dill sauce in this recipe go perfectly well with a slow braised beef fillet or beef cheek too, so if you’re not into fish – and you should be as it’s chockful of goodness like omega3s,  you can enjoy the flavours of the sauce with red meat as well.

Having said that, Mr Chipconnoisseur and I havd agreed to go vegetarian for 4 days a week. The rest will be a good mix of fresh fish, organic chicken and a little bit of red meat. I will obviously continue to share a variety of recipes on the blog but will be attempting to use even more whole ingredients in a lot of my cooking.

But before we start, I promise to share a few recipes inspired by our visit to Asia this week. I already have a gorgeous pork belly salad idea and a couple of amazing French soup flavours to try.

Serves 4

Poached salmon with caramelised leeks and mustard sauce

The sauce and side of leeks go just as well with braised beef cheek or fillet, or any type of white fish.

{Printable recipe}

For the salmon:

  • 2 salmon fillets, cut in half longways
  • 2 lemons, cut in half

For the leeks:

  • 8 leeks, white part only
  • 4 tbsp butter

For the sauce:

  • 350ml water
  • 20g butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 4 tbsp dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped dill

To make the leeks: wash leeks thoroughly. Place in some boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Heat up a little butter in a small pan and add the leeks. Cover and simmer covered for another 20 minutes or until soft.

To make the sauce: melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and whisk vigorously, add water and keep whisking until the sauce thickens to cream-like consistency. Add mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and add chopped dill.

To make the salmon: cut fillets in half longways. Slice lemons, place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook salmon in lemon water for about 6-8 minutes if you like it pink in the middle, or 10-12 minutes if you prefer it cooked all the way through.

To serve: serve with mash potato or rice with caramelised leeks on the side and a generous helping of the mustard sauce.

19 comments

saffronandhoney November 5, 2011 at 11:26 am

I love leeks and this looks like a wonderful recipe. Great idea to pair the sauce with salmon, salmon and dill are great! I often make a yogurt-dill sauce for it.

Reply
frugalfeeding November 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm

This sounds delicious. Poached salmon is simply fantastic.

Reply
Joanne November 5, 2011 at 2:28 pm

That mustard dill sauce I imagine is pretty killer with the salmon. Yum!!! And I love leeks too!

Reply
Lizzy (Good Things) November 5, 2011 at 6:50 pm

Salmon and dill marry so beautifully!

Reply
Sherilyn @ Wholepromise November 5, 2011 at 8:45 pm

Totally love dill with fish but never thought of it with beef. We do vegetarian around 4 – 5 days a week and have done for a long time now and wouldn’t change it. Once you know how to mix it up it is easy.

Reply
Three-Cookies November 6, 2011 at 12:47 am

Your plate has a smiley face:) I have never made mustard sauce this way, thanks for the idea.

Reply
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide November 6, 2011 at 4:19 am

That is such a wonderful meal, refreshing and comforting all at once.

Reply
Mez November 6, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Oh my god that looks delicious!
Except I’d probably roast the salmon, I’m in love with roast salmon.

xox

Reply
Courtney November 7, 2011 at 7:06 am

Yum! We eat salmon at least once a week, so I’m happy to have a new recipe to try!

Reply
theamericaine.blogspot.com November 7, 2011 at 9:55 am

I love salmon when it’s done right and from these pictures this looks absolutely perfect!

Reply
Chopinand @ ChopinandMysaucepan November 7, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Although I prefer salmon pan-seared coz I love the crispy skin, this dish looks pretty Nordic and delicious! Also love the fact the leek and mustard dill sauce can double up for a nice piece of scotch fillet from the barbie!

Reply
rsmacaalay November 7, 2011 at 6:22 pm

Wow pink salmon, I rarely see them, the salmon here are orange ones. Love your plating

Reply
Sissi November 8, 2011 at 12:55 am

All the ingredients sound and look perfect together, especially since this salmon doesn’t look like the farmed, super-fat bland version, but rather like wild one (or at least from a “green” farm). I also love mustard and dill sauce (it’s great with vinegared herring). I am impatient to see your Asian discoveries!

Reply
lateraleating November 8, 2011 at 8:45 am

Thanks for the recipe, looks great! I’ll definitely try the sauce on a variety of meats.

Reply
Karen November 10, 2011 at 11:45 pm

I have roasted salmon with a mustard crust, now I will try your sauce. It sounds good.

Reply
Nami | Just One Cookbook November 11, 2011 at 8:52 pm

Light, simple, and delicious meal. I love leeks but never caramelized them before – something to look forward to in the near future! Looks delicious!

Reply
Poached Salmon in a Mustard Dill Sauce « Misadventures in Cooking November 24, 2011 at 3:00 am

[…] Poached Salmon in Mustard Dill Sauce, adapted slightly from Martyna at  Wholesome Cook […]

Reply
Courtney November 24, 2011 at 3:02 am

Hi, Martyna, I made this wondeful dish earlier this week. The sauce was so good! I posted about it, gave you credit, and linked back. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe. In case you’re interested: :)

Reply
Wholesome Cook November 24, 2011 at 8:39 am

Thank you! Looks great :-)

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.