Poached Salmon with Baby Spinach

I had the girls – Sara and Alison – over for Valentine’s Day. Alison brought me flowers – yes, I am a lucky lady. We had a delicious dinner, with a first course of sautéed scallops, then crusty French bread, roasted asparagus, and poached salmon with a white wine reduction sauce. Dessert was macerated sliced strawberries. Pink and red food for Valentine’s Day – cheesy, I know, but it all turned out quite well. This recipe is much more involved than my usual cooking repertoire, but it was after all a very special occasion!

Poached Salmon with Baby Spinach
Serves 4

1 lb. salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 pieces
1 small lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 1 chopped and one left whole
2 ½ tbsp. olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 ¼ c. dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
½ lb. baby spinach
Salt to taste

Cut 4 very thin slices from the center of the lemon; reserve. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon over the salmon pieces, and season with pepper to taste. Place a lemon slice on each piece of fish. Sprinkle with the rosemary and set aside.

Warm 1 ½ T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the garlic and shallot begin to caramelize slightly, about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Push the garlic and shallots to the side, and add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Place the salmon fillets in the middle of the pan. Add the wine and the whole sprig of rosemary. Cover the skillet and adjust the heat so that the liquid is simmering. Poach the salmon until it is opaque, 7 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove salmon to a platter.

Increase the heat to medium and add the spinach and scallions to the pan. Cook, covered, until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the spinach from the poaching liquid.

Increase the heat to high. Stirring constantly, cook the poaching liquid until slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place each fillet on a plate. Top with poaching liquid and lemon slices. Place spinach mixture around each fillet.