Chef Juliette
Boiled Salmon
Saumon bouilli teaches the gentlest lesson in the fish canon: bring a whole salmon to the boil once, then let quiet heat finish it, juicy and intact, with Hollandaise beside it.
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Salade de Saumon
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 810, Salade de Saumon, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Cold poached salmon in generous flakes, crisp lettuce, and sharp vinaigrette, with egg, capers, cornichons, olives, and anchovy laid directly on the fish, exactly as this simpler classical salad intends.
Salads
French
Outdoor Dining
Weeknight
25 min
Active Time
15 min cook•1 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings
Salade de Saumon (cold salmon salad) teaches the discipline of dressing a rich ingredient lightly. The one true thing to know before touching a pan is this: the salmon must meet the vinaigrette (oil-and-vinegar dressing) fully cold and dry. Warm fish drinks oil unevenly; wet fish loosens the dressing and wilts the lettuce.
The original entry assumed a cold larder with cooked salmon, washed lettuce, boiled eggs, and its little decorating garnishes already waiting. At home, one center-cut fillet poached in a wide saucepan replaces the fish kettle, and four plates replace the brigade platter. Precise symmetry is service scaffolding and can go. What stays is the dish itself: salmon in generous flakes, lettuce seasoned like an ordinary salad, no mayonnaise, and the garnish laid directly on the fish.
One cook, one stove, one evening. Keep the poach below a boil, chill the fish before flaking, and reserve enough vinaigrette to season the lettuce and salmon separately. Cooling and drying the fish is the step that matters most; once that is right, composing the platter is pleasure.
Salade de saumon belongs to the Parisian cold table, where cooked fish was commonly returned to service as a composed salad rather than reheated. In the classical repertoire it stands beside the mayonnaise version and makes a pointed distinction: the same flaked fish, lettuce, and decorating garnish are seasoned as an ordinary salad, with no masking sauce. Placing the garnish directly upon the salmon was part of the preparation, a formal platter detail that traveled easily into the bourgeois home.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
center-cut skin-on salmon fillet
Quantity
1 fillet, about 1½ lb (680 g)
cold water
Quantity
6 cups (1.4 L / 1.4 kg)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon (19 ml / 22 g)
divided
butter lettuce
Quantity
2 heads, about 8 loosely packed cups (1.9 L / 240 g)
leaves washed and thoroughly dried
sunflower oil
Quantity
4 tablespoons (60 ml / 55 g)
white wine vinegar
Quantity
1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml / 22 g)
Dijon mustard
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g)
large eggs
Quantity
2
anchovy fillets
Quantity
8 fillets (32 g)
drained
cornichons
Quantity
6 (75 g)
thinly sliced lengthwise
capers
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 18 g)
rinsed and drained
small black olives
Quantity
12 (50 g)
mixed flat-leaf parsley and chervil
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g)
finely chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| center-cut skin-on salmon fillet | 1 fillet, about 1½ lb (680 g) |
| cold water | 6 cups (1.4 L / 1.4 kg) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon (19 ml / 22 g) |
| butter lettuceleaves washed and thoroughly dried | 2 heads, about 8 loosely packed cups (1.9 L / 240 g) |
| sunflower oil | 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 55 g) |
| white wine vinegar | 1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml / 22 g) |
| Dijon mustard | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g) |
| large eggs | 2 |
| anchovy filletsdrained | 8 fillets (32 g) |
| cornichonsthinly sliced lengthwise | 6 (75 g) |
| capersrinsed and drained | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 18 g) |
| small black olives | 12 (50 g) |
| mixed flat-leaf parsley and chervilfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •12-inch (30 cm) wide shallow saucepan with lid
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Large salad bowl
- •14-inch (35 cm) shallow oval platter
Instructions
- 1
Poach the salmon
Lay the salmon skin-side down in a wide shallow saucepan and add the cold water with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring the water up slowly over medium heat until it barely trembles, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 8 to 12 minutes. The thickest part should reach 145°F (63°C) and separate into moist flakes when pressed. Never let the water boil hard. If it does, lift the pan from the heat for a minute before continuing. Ça se rattrape: gentle heat from this point will keep the fish from tightening further.
If you already have about 1¼ lb (560 g) of cold poached salmon, begin with the next step. Leftover fish is the original cold-larder premise, not a lesser substitute. - 2
Cool and flake
Lift the salmon onto a rack set over a plate and let it cool for 15 minutes, then chill it uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove the skin and any pin bones, blot every surface dry, and separate the flesh into generous flakes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across. Cold and dry is the principle that decides this dish. If the fish still feels warm or beads moisture, wait and blot again before the vinaigrette comes near it.
- 3
Prepare the garnish
While the salmon chills, lower the eggs into gently boiling water and cook for 9 minutes. Cool them promptly in cold water, peel, and cut each into quarters. Drain the anchovies, slice the cornichons, rinse the capers, and have the olives and chopped herbs ready. These are garnishes, but they also supply salt, acidity, and little changes of texture, so keep each recognizable.
- 4
Whisk the vinaigrette
Whisk the vinegar, Dijon mustard, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and black pepper until the salt dissolves. Add the sunflower oil in a thin stream, whisking until the vinaigrette becomes lightly emulsified and tastes bright enough to cut the salmon's richness. If it separates while standing, don't discard it. Ça se rattrape: whisk it vigorously just before dressing.
- 5
Dress the salad
Keep a few handsome lettuce leaves whole and tear the rest into broad pieces. Toss the torn lettuce with half the vinaigrette, using just enough to make the leaves glisten without leaving liquid in the bowl. Arrange the whole leaves around a shallow platter and mound the dressed lettuce loosely in the center. Fold one quarter of the vinaigrette through the salmon with your fingers or two spoons, taking care not to crush the flakes, then settle the fish over the lettuce.
- 6
Garnish the salmon
Lay the egg quarters, anchovy fillets, and cornichon slices directly upon the salmon, then scatter over the capers, olives, parsley, and chervil. Spoon over the remaining vinaigrette, concentrating it on the fish rather than flooding the lettuce. Serve at once, while the leaves remain crisp and the salmon is cool but not numbed by the refrigerator. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Cold leftover poached salmon is exactly right here. Use about 1¼ lb (560 g) of cooked fish and inspect it carefully for bones before flaking. Smoked salmon changes both the salt balance and the texture, so save it for another preparation.
- •Taste the vinaigrette against a flake of salmon, not from the spoon alone. Rich fish and cold service soften acidity, so a dressing that seems rather sharp by itself usually lands correctly on the platter.
- •For outdoor dining, carry the salmon, dry lettuce, garnish, and vinaigrette in separate chilled containers. Keep the fish below 40°F (4°C), then dress and compose the salad just before everyone sits down.
- •Pour a dry, mineral white with enough acidity for the vinaigrette, such as Muscadet or an unoaked Chablis. Bread and salted butter alongside are sufficient; cooking well is not cooking fancy.
Advance Preparation
- •Poach the salmon and boil the eggs up to 24 hours ahead. Chill them in separate covered containers, then flake and garnish the fish shortly before serving.
- •The vinaigrette can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in a sealed jar. Let it lose its refrigerator chill and whisk it again before dressing.
- •Wash and dry the lettuce earlier the same day, then wrap it loosely in a clean towel and keep it cold. Moisture left on the leaves will dilute the vinaigrette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
520 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
31 g
Cholesterol
190 mg
Sodium
1450 mg
Total Carbohydrates
4 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
40 g
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