Poached Salmon with Dill Yoghurt & Cucumber

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets, about 150g each
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 200 g Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Buttered new potatoes, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• 150 g cooked puy lentils, dressed with lemon and olive oil (optional)

Method

1. Fill a wide, shallow pan with water and add the lemon slices, peppercorns and bay leaves. Season the water generously with salt — the salmon takes its seasoning from the liquor, so this is the moment that matters. Bring to a gentle simmer: surface barely trembling, the odd lazy bubble breaking, never a rolling boil. Hard boiling toughens salmon and turns the edges chalky.
2. Slide the salmon fillets in skin-side down and poach for 8–10 minutes. You're looking for flesh that has turned from translucent to opaque pink, with the fat lines just starting to show as pale streaks — nudge with a fork and it should flake but still look glossy at the centre. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a warm plate and let it settle for a couple of minutes; the residual heat finishes the job.
3. While the salmon poaches, stir the Greek yoghurt together with the chopped dill and the lemon juice. Season with salt and a good crack of black pepper, then taste — it should be bright, herby, and properly seasoned. Yoghurt mutes salt, so you'll need more than you think; taste again and adjust.
4. Toss the cucumber slices with the olive oil and a pinch of salt so they glisten and start to soften at the edges — two or three minutes is plenty. Any longer and they weep water and go limp.
5. Plate the salmon alongside a tangle of dressed cucumber, spoon the dill yoghurt generously beside it, scatter the extra dill fronds over, and tuck a lemon wedge on the side for a final squeeze at the table. A spoon of lemony puy lentils underneath is a classic with poached salmon and makes it a complete plate.