Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 cups Brut Champagne
  • 1/4 cup shallots
  • 6 sprigs fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
  • Champagne Vanilla Sauce, recipe follows
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 1 cup Champagne
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar

Method

  • Grease a 2-quart straight-sided saute pan with the butter.
  • Add the Champagne, shallots, dill sprigs, chopped dill, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low.
  • Gently simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the fish to the pan and spoon the poaching liquid over them.
  • Cook uncovered until the salmon is firm and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  • (If the poaching liquid does not cover the fish, spoon the liquid over the fillets as they cook.)
  • Using a slotted spatula, remove the fillets from the pan and blot excess liquid with a paper towel.
  • Serve with the Champagne-Vanilla Sauce.
  • In a saucepan, combine the shallots and Champagne.
  • Scrape the vanilla seeds from the split pod into the pan and add the vanilla pod halves.
  • Bring to a boil and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the heavy cream, bring to a boil and simmer until cream thickens and coats the back of a spoon, and is reduced by nearly 50 percent in volume, about 3 minutes.
  • Whisk in the butter until smooth and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
  • Season, to taste, with salt, pepper, and vinegar and serve immediately over fish or shellfish.
  • Note: If sauce is made in advance, keep warm in a bain marie over barely simmering water.
  • Yield: About 1 generous cup, 4 servings