I always thought that poaching food was a fancy cooking method beyond my capabilities.
However, I recently discovered that poaching salmon at home is arguably easier than cooking it on the grill or in a pan (in the very least, there's less to clean up).
Food and Wine has a great, simple tutorial on how to poach your salmon just right.
All you need is a filet of raw salmon, any seasoning you'd like, a resealable plastic bag, and a large, deep skillet.
Here's what you do from there.
1. Fill your skillet halfway with water, and bring it to a boil.
2. Season your filet. (This step is optional.)
3. Drop your salmon into the plastic bag, and make sure all the air is out of the bag before sealing it.
4. Drop the bag of salmon into the boiling water.
5. Allow the filet to cook until it starts to turn a very light pink. You can see how done the salmon is by removing the bag from the water and observing its flakiness. It should be flaky at the ends, while the firmness of the middle depends on how well done you like your fish. Less firm means less cooked.
6. When your salmon has reached your desired doneness, remove it from the water, and from its bag, and enjoy!
