Olive-Oil Poached Salmon with Poached Egg and Tomato Relish

This story starts yesterday, when, at the Barnes and Noble, I finally purchased the wonderful book, "Fish Without a Doubt." The authors take you through the techniques of preparing fish in every possible way, including poaching. The notion of slow-cooking a piece of fish in warm liquid sounded, well, like a very gentle way of preparing a fish! Although poaching doesn't give the fish a crust like pan-searing does, the moistness and flakiness of the fish can't be beat. I learned that you can poach a fish in a wine broth, in milk (think creamy Asian curries), and, of course, in olive oil.

Initially, I completely balked at the quantity of olive oil needed -- the general rule is that you have to cover the fish in whatever liquid you're poaching it in. That's a lot of olive oil, even though I was just making one fillet! But the oil is reusable when filtered through a sieve, and the fish is so worth it. Here's my take on the recipe:

1. Make the Tomato Relish:

1 large tomato
1/4 cup chopped parsly
1/2 scallion, chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

2. Make the Fish

Gently heat an 8 " stir-fry pan with olive oil. The oil should warm to the touch -- if it is bubbling, it is too hot. Another test is to just dip a small piece of your fillet in the oil; if it sizzles and fries, the oil is also too hot. You should be able to slide in the salmon fillet without hearing a sound. Cover the stir-fry and keep the heat on low (you could even just turn the stove off is the oil is at the right temperature). When you open the lid about six minutes later, the salmon should be done!

3. Poach the Egg (see recipe under French Lentils and Poached Egg)

4. Sautee the Spinach

5. Assemble your plate!