Mouth-watering poached salmon with tangy cucumber dill sauce

Flaky, melt-in-your-mouth salmon fillets with cucumber dill sauce is a delicious, hearty seafood dish. Enjoy supper for four in just 20 minutes with this convenient, no-fuss meal.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Salmon

• 250 ml (1 c) dry white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 scallions, sliced
• black peppercorns
• 4 salmon fillets, 125 g (4 oz) each

Sauce

• 175 ml (3/4 c) nonfat sour cream
• 75 g (1/3 c) diced peeled cucumber
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) snipped fresh dill
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
• 5.5 ml (1 1/8 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Fresh dill sprigs to garnish

1. Pour 375 ml (1 1/2 c) water into large nonstick skillet. Stir in wine, scallions and peppercorns. Put salmon in skillet in single layer. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until fish flakes when tested with a fork (about 6 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, make sauce. Stir together sour cream, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Refrigerate if not serving immediately.
4. Carefully transfer fillets with a slotted spatula to large platter. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs. Serve hot or chilled with sauce.

Cold option

To serve cold, squeeze lemon juice over the poached fillets, cover with plastic and refrigerate until well chilled (at least 2 hours or overnight). Mix the dill sauce right before it's time to serve.

Hot option

Serve the salmon hot with steamed jasmine rice tossed with toasted almonds or cold on a bed of mixed greens. Accompany with haricots verts, topped with vinaigrette and slices of cantaloupe.

Although the fat in salmon is of the heart-friendly type, it's still high in calories. By poaching the salmon instead of pan sautéing it, you bypass the fat calories from the oil and also rid the salmon of some of its fat. Nonfat sour cream, when enhanced with crispy cucumbers and fresh snipped dill, tastes creamy and rich—despite its "lightness."

Key nutrients

• 300 calories (110 calories from fat)
• 10 g carbohydrates
• 12 g fat
• 3 g saturated fat
• 0 g trans fat
• 24 g protein
• 0 g fibre
• 130 mg sodium

Vitamins and minerals

• 9 mg vitamin C
• 43 mg magnesium
• 522 mg potassium
• 89 mg calcium

A restaurant-quality meal doesn't have to break the bank— enjoy poached salmon with dill sauce at your next dinner party!