A Coffee Pot Is All You Need For Delicious Poached Salmon

No matter how you cook it, salmon is a delicious tasting fish that lends itself well to a myriad of flavors such as herbs, lemon, maple, and teriyaki. It can be grilled, baked, fried, or poached. While there are many ways to poach salmon, such as Chef Michael White's successful way to poach fish by making sure the water is 130 degrees Fahrenheit, or to poach fillets in olive oil for perfectly pink salmon, there's one strange and unexpected way it can be done: in a coffee pot.

For those unfamiliar, poaching is a technique that is used to cook something in a liquid that isn't quite hot enough to be simmering or boiling. Delicate foods such as fish, eggs, and vegetables are just a few foods that have a great texture when poached because this method cooks the food gradually, allowing for the retention of moisture. And because a coffee pot heats water without boiling it, it is the perfect device to achieve a beautifully-cooked, moist piece of salmon. 

Poaching salmon in a coffee maker begins the same way that making coffee begins: by adding water into the reservoir. Make sure there is enough water to cover the salmon completely — about three cups should do. Next, put any spices or flavorings in which you'd like to cook the fish, such as soy sauce, garlic, ginger, or lemon, into the pot. Then place one fillet, skin side up, in the pot. Finally, run the coffee machine until the salmon is submerged and let it poach until it is opaque — anywhere from 7-20 minutes. When it's finished, remove the fillet from the pot, garnish, and enjoy!

If you'd like a side of vegetables with your fish, you can place them in the basket that usually holds the coffee filter and grounds. While your salmon cooks, the vegetables will steam. You can also use your coffee machine to make other food such as rice, noodles, and soup. No matter what non-coffee fare you decide to cook in it, you'll definitely want to clean your coffee maker when you're finished to avoid a strange-tasting cup of joe the next morning.