Being the daughter of a commercial fisherman, I grew up eating a lot of fish. In fact our family ate both halibut and salmon weekly. As an adult I have continued to keep fish prevalent in my diet, however now I have to purchase it from the fishmonger or local fishermen. I realize now, just how lucky I was to grow up with such a healthy diet with lots of fresh, wild fish.
Eating fish regularly, I am always on the "hunt" for new, healthy ways to prepare salmon and white fish (halibut is my fave, but very expensive). A few years ago, I came across an amazing recipe, or method for cooking fish en papillote, or fish "in paper".
"En papillote" is a method of folding fish and small vegetables inside parchment paper parcels, then cooking the parcels at a high temperature for a short amount of time. The parcels of fish and vegetables puff up, causing resulting condensation (waters from the fish and any sauce/liquid) to steam the fish and vegetables. Not only is this a healthy way to cook, but it is absolutely tasty!
I have used the fish "en papillote" method with both salmon and halibut - depending which fish is currently in season, or what I have frozen in the freezer. I also tend to change the vegetables and flavourings with the seasons, depending on what is available locally and the freshest.
The trick to optimally cooked "en papillote" ingredients is to keep your vegetables cut to a smaller size that cooks within a short time frame. Baby or fingerling potatoes can also be added to the parchment paper parcels if cut into smaller pieces or par-boiled before adding them with the other ingredients.
The Salmon En Papillote recipe below is inspired by Asian flavours, as salmon pairs very well with that seasoning profile. During peak fish season, I purchase most of my fish fresh direct from a fisherman, scaled and filleted on the boat, then my family, friends and I feast, ensuring I have fillets left over to freeze for winter use.
To prepare the salmon for this recipe, I let the frozen fish fillet partially thaw. I find it easiest to cut fish (and remove the bottom skin) when it is still slightly frozen, but pliable. You want to ensure that the fish is of equal thickness throughout, so I removed the thinner ends of the fillet and roasted them separately for salads. See image above.
Overall, this is a very easy way to cook fish. It can be prepared ahead of time and then baked right before serving. It's a fabulous entertaining dish, as everyone "oohs and ahs" when each guest receives their own fish en papillote parcel!
I hope you give this recipe a try. I think it's perfect for a cozy Valentine's Day at home, as each parcel is made with love from heart-shaped parchment paper pieces. Since it's Valentine's Day, I also cut the cherry tomatoes into heart shapes to surprise my family when they open the parcel and find more hearts inside!
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below or on Instagram at #mykuratedlife!
Enjoy,
Krista xo
Salmon En Papillote
makes 4 parcels
Ingredients
For The Parcels
1/2 kilogram wild salmon (I used sockeye), de-boned and de-skinned, then cut into 4 pieces of equal size and thickness, trimming off thinner outside edges (read note above)
1 bunch of thin asparagus, trimmed to fit parcel length
2 carrots, cleaned, peeled and then cut into julienne strips
1/2 red pepper, cored and sliced into thin strips
1/2 clam shell cherry tomatoes
1-2 lemons depending on size, sliced into thin wheels
salt and pepper - pinch of each
For The Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, sodium reduced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated finely on microplane
1 garlic clove, grated finely on microplane
Method
To Prepare the Parcels
Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper 14"X14" (or sized to fit your fish and vegetables). Fold each parchment paper piece in half and draw one side of a heart (just like in elementary school!). Cut along the pencil line, open and you should have a heart shape. I try to cut the shape out from inside the pencil outline for food safe purposes. Repeat three more times until you have 4 hearts. See image below for steps.
To Assemble the Salmon En Papillotes
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
On one half of the parchment paper heart (I use the right-side) add your vegetables in layers starting with the biggest - asparagus, red pepper, carrot. Then lay 1 piece of salmon across the vegetables and top with cherry tomatoes and lemon wheels. Repeat until you have 4 parcels done. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to each parcel.
In a small bowl make the sauce. Add soy sauce, olive oil, honey, ginger and garlic and whisk until combined. Gently pour one tablespoon over each piece of salmon, you don't need alot of liquid.
Fold empty side of the heart over top of the side with the salmon and vegetables. Starting at the bottom tip of the heart make two 1" section folds toward the top of the heart - essentially the first fold is to combine the top and bottom pieces of paper, the second fold is to seal the parcel so that the steam remains inside. See image below.
Continue this same process folding 1-2" sections twice along the outside of the heart working your way from the bottom tip to the top of the heart. See image below (excuse the bad lighting - this was a version with fresh fish and olive oil seasoning!).
Once your parcel is folded, do a double check along the outside edge to make sure there is nowhere that the steam can get out.
Place Salmon En Papillote parcels on a baking sheet and into the pre-heated oven. The parcels should be completely puff up after 10 minutes of cooking. This means that the air is trapped and the moisture is being released to create "steam". Continue to cook salmon for 2-5 more minutes (12-15 minutes in total), depending on the size of your fish. The fish should be opaque and fork tender and the veggies should be cooked el dente or just slightly more at this point.
Remove parcels from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Do not open parcels during this time, as the ingredients will continue to cook and the papillote top will deflate.
Place 1 parcel onto a plate and serve with a salad (roasted potatoes work nicely here as well if you did not include them in the parcel).
Recipe Notes:
If you are using fresh, wild fish, I like to pair the protein with small, seasonal veggies. As the fish is fresh, I keep the seasoning simple - salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with 2 lemon wheels. Fresh fish is full of natural flavour, by keeping the seasoning light, you can really enjoy fresh from the ocean flavours!
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