Poached Salmon with a Mustard, Dill and Caper Sauce

You can make the onions and sauce ahead of time and leave the salmon to cook while you are eating your starters. Than when clearing the plates away you reheat the onions throw in the spinach and warm the sauce through.
Serves 4

1 lemon
4 salmon fillets

CARAMELISED ONIONS
25g/1oz. butter
2tsp veg. oil
2 med. onions roughly chopped
1 tsp muscovado sugar
350g bag prepared spinach leaves

SAUCE
200ml tub crème fraiche
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
A small handful of fresh dill (ferns and soft stalk tips) chopped.

1. Make the caramelized onions. Melt butter with the oil in a large deep saucepan and tip in the onions and sugar. Cook over a low to med heat for 20-25 mins. Stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and caramelized
2. Meanwhile make the sauce. Tip the crème fraiche into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat. Stir in the mustard, capers and dill and let the sauce simmer gently for 4-5 mins stirring now and again. Remove from the heat and set aside
3. Pour boiling water from the kettle into a flameproof casserole to come to 8 cm up the sides. Cut 2 slices off the lemon and add to the water with a pinch of salt. Bring back to the boil then immediately turn off the heat and lower in the salmon fillets skin side down. Cover the pan with its lid and leave undisturbed for 5-10 mins depending whether you like your salmon slightly rare in the centre or cooked all the way through.
4. To serve turn up the heat under the onions, toss in the spinach and stir until the leaves are just wilted. Quickly reheat the sauce then taste it for seasoning adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you think it needs it. Spoon the onions and spinach on to the plates put the salmon on top and spoon the sauce over and around. Put some dill on top of each piece.