Wine With…Poached Salmon

Wine With. . . Poached Salmon 

by Paul Lukacs and Marguerite Thomas

Salmon is America‘s favorite fish in part because you can prepare it in many different ways.  Presented whole or cut into steaks or filets, it can be baked, poached, grilled, roasted, or smoked.  You can serve it with a simple squeeze of lemon, or top it with Hollandaise or another lavish sauce.  In addition to its culinary adaptability, salmon is remarkably versatile with wine.  It complements all colors, and a wide variety of flavors.

We recently poached a generous salmon filet in a simple stock of equal parts chicken broth and white wine.  After four or five minutes of gentle simmering, we transferred the fish to a serving platter and napped it with Mustard-Dill Sauce (see the recipe below).  The whole process took less than 30 minutes to whip together, after which we sat down and sampled the results with an array of thirteen wines we’d opened for the occasion. 

White, red or pink, the color of the wine had little impact on its compatibility with this particular dish.  Stylistic character, however, definitely made the difference between ‘yum’ and ‘yuck.’  The acidity in the crisp whites we tried (a California Sauvignon Blanc, a Sancerre, and a Washington State Riesling) made the salmon taste unpleasantly fishy.  At the other extreme, the tannins in a bold Rioja and the heavy oak in a Golden State Chardonnay rode roughshod over the dish.  The top matches came in different colors, but they all were balanced and harmonious, with no single element dominating the show. Our conclusion was that when poached salmon is served with a medium-bodied sauce that is spiked with a hint of herbs and/or spice, an overabundance of acidity or tannin in the accompanying wine can render the experience jarring on the palate.

Mustard-Dill Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced shallots

¼ cup white wine

1 ½ teaspoons dried dill, or 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup unflavored yogurt (preferably Greek style)

Melt the butter and stir in the shallots.  When they are tender, pour in the wine, turn up the heat, and cook until reduced by about half.   Stir in the dill and mustard; then add the cream.  Simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce begins to thicken; then whisk in the yogurt.

Selection

Approx. Price

Comments

Chateau d’Aqueria, Tavel (France) Rosé 2005

(Imported by Kobrand)

  $16

Bright and fresh, this rosé delighted us because its slightly earthy undertone really enhanced the dish, finding an especially amiable partner in the mustard-rich sauce.  

Blenheim, Virginia Cabernet Franc 2003

 $18

The faintly weedy character of Cabernet Franc, evident in this Chinon-styled wine from Virginia, paired particularly well with the dill and mustard.  Because the wine isn’t all that forceful, it never threatened to overwhelm the dish.

Hugel, Alsace (France) Pinot Blanc ‘Cuvée les Amours’ 2004

(Imported by Frederick Wildman)

 $15

We’ve found over the years that Hugels‘ Pinot Blanc pairs successfully with a whole host of different foods, so weren’t surprised that it performed well with our poached salmon.  It’s not a very overt or forward wine, but it is beautifully balanced.  That, we suspect, is what makes it such a good choice at the dinner table.

Olivier Leflaive, Burgundy (France) Bourgogne ‘Les Sétilles‘ 2005

2003

(Imported by Frederick Wildman)

  $17

Unlike the California Chardonnay we tried, this white Burgundy whispers rather than shouts.  What it has to say, though, is delicious-autumnal fruit flavors, just the right amount of oak, and, again, beautiful balance.  It seemed to bring out the flavors of the salmon, making the dish taste even better than it did otherwise.

Ponzi, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2004

  $35

We feared that this wine might be too forceful for this salmon preparation, but both the fish and the sauce more than held their own.  What made the Pinot work well as a partner was its silky texture and sumptuous mouth feel, something that echoed the creamy dish itself.