Poached salmon and dill cucumber salad

INGREDIENTS

• Poached Salmon:
• 4 (6.5 oz) individual salmon fillets, skin on or off (or 4 chicken breasts)
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• ½ fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup good quality chicken stock
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Water

• Dill Cucumber Salad:
• 2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp capers, drained well
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

  PREPARATION

• Poached Salmon:
• In a large sauté pan combine the carrot, celery, onion, fennel, white wine vinegar, chicken stock, and a few good turns of the pepper mill. Heat over medium heat and let simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors meld.
• Place in the salmon fillets and fill pan with water until the fillets are fully submerged.
• Poach for 8-10 minutes over medium heat.
• Remove the pan from the heat and gently transfer fish to a plate or wire rack to cool for a few minutes.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
• While salmon is chilling, prepare the dill cucumber salad.
• In a medium sized bowl combine all ingredients for the salad and toss until well mixed.
• Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve salmon chilled with dill cucumber salad on the side.
• If using chicken breasts:
• In a large pot (large enough to fit the chicken in one layer) add the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, fennel, white wine vinegar, chicken stock, a few good turns of the pepper mill, and fill with water so the chicken is covered by at least one inch. If you wish you can add in a few sprigs of fresh thyme or bay leaves as well.
• Heat pot over medium-high heat on the stove and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 10-15 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken registers at 160 F. You may want to start checking around 8 minutes depending on how thick the chicken is.
• Remove pot from heat and let the chicken stand in the liquid for 5 minutes.
• If you wish you can store the chicken with some or all of the liquid to keep it moist, if not remove the chicken from the poaching liquid completely and store in the refrigerator until chilled.