Salmon en Papillote is an easy preparation for a healthy, flavorful, and aromatic dinner!
Ingredients
1largezucchinisliced between 1/4" and 1/2" thick
1shallotthinly sliced
1/4cupextra virgin olive oil
26-ouncepieces of salmon
1/2cupfresh dill
1lemonthinly sliced
kosher salt
freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay out two pieces of 13"x16" pre-cut parchment paper.
Arrange a single layer of zucchini slices on each piece of parchment paper, big enough for the fish to sit on (I usually do 8 slices of zucchini each). Sprinkle over the sliced shallots. Drizzle each zucchini parchment serving with 1 tbsp of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. I do this by eye, but 1/8 tsp of each should be sufficient.
Place one salmon piece on each zucchini layer, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper as well. 1/4 tsp of salt for each salmon fillet is a good starting point.
Arrange the dill on top of the salmon, and cover with a single layer of fresh lemon slices.
Seal the parchment paper well by repeatedly folding the ends over each other, taking care to make sure it is well sealed. You don’t want any steam to escape. See blog post for photos.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of your salmon. I recommend cooking the salmon to medium doneness, at 125F. You can check the salmon by poking the thermometer through the paper, but try not to open the paper up completely.
Plate the entire packet on plates, still sealed, then tear open the parchment paper at the table to full savor the aromas. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you have a really thin piece of salmon, which is more common with wild salmons like sockeye, you will be on the low end, and I’d aim for 15 minutes. I like to stop cooking when the interior is 125F, which is medium. 20 minutes is more typical for most pieces of salmon. You can see my piece was quite thick, and it needed the full 20 minutes.