Chocolatey Poached Salmon

• 8 slices of salmon, filleted, with the skin left on, approximately 6 ozs. each
• 4 large lemons, juicy
• 12 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt
• 3 large carrots, preferably organic
• 3 celery stalks, preferably deeply pigmented
• 1 large red onion, or alternatively a sweet Vidalia onion
• 10 whole black pepper balls
• 10 whole white pepper balls
• 1 bottle of Chardonnay good drinking quality wine
• 25 dark chocolate bits, each approximately half the size of a standard marble.
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, on the "fine" setting

1. Soak the bay leaves in filtered water salted with the sea salt or kosher salt, then rinse with cold filtered water.
2. Peel the carrots, and continuing to use the peeler, shave the carrot and transfer the shavings to an oblong heavy-bottomed stainless steel poacher.
3. Remove all of the leaves and outer layers of the celery stalks. Then dice them into half-inch cubes, and toss into the poacher.
4. Peel and dice the onion and place in the poacher along with the whole black and white pepper balls.
5. Put enough filtered water into the poacher to cover the ingredients, cover the poacher, and bring to a boil atop the stove.
6. Lower the flame, introduce the steaming insert, and place the salmon fillet slices, skin side down, on top of the steaming insert.
7. Take a knife and make surgical-like incisions in each fillet, inserting bay leaves into these pockets.
8. Halve the lemons and squeeze them, filtering out the seeds by using a sieve.
9. Pour the lemon juice directly over the salmon slices.
10. Uncork the Chardonnay, pour it in a sweeping motion over the salmon slices, and restore the cover.
11. After 20 minutes, use a fork to test the "doneness" of the salmon.
12. Remove all of the bay leaves. Place the salmon fillet slices on a platter, and rain the chocolate bits over the salmon.
13. Alternatively, keep the salmon in the poacher, refrigerate, and serve cold two hours later, adding the chocolate bits at that time.

salmon, lemons, bay leaves, salt, carrots, celery stalks, red onion, black pepper, white pepper, quality wine, chocolate bits, freshly ground black pepper

Taken from food52.com/recipes/29112-chocolatey-poached-salmon (may not work)