Salmon en Papillote

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an interesting salmon dish. Literally, it means Salmon in Parchment Paper. As the name infers, this is a salmon dish cooked entirely in a parchment paper case. The salmon itself is coated with Chinese Five Spice  and cooked on a bed of vegetables. The spice gives this dish a lovely taste and aroma. If you are looking for a very healthy dish, look no further.

INGREDIENTS:

(1) 1 Salmon Fillet

(2) 1 Carrot

(3) 1 Celery Stalk

(4) 1/2 Cup Snow Peas

(5) 4 Stalks Scallions (Spring Onions)

(6) 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

(7) 1 Teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Powder

(8) 1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds

(9) A Drizzle of Lemon Juice

(10) Salt and Pepper to taste

Note: You can use whatever vegetables you have or like. I used the above vegetables in this recipe because they are what I love using. Some leek, asparagus or broccoli will be nice here.

I have a HOW TO post on how to make Chinese Five Spice which is the key spice used in this recipe. That post can be found here. The spice can  also be bought in grocery and Asian stores. This dish can also be tried out with other spice blends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

(1) Clean, wash and dry the salmon fillet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees

(3) Peel and julienne the Carrots, Scallions and Celery. Cut the ends off the snow peas and divide into two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Heat the olive oil in a pan. Saute the carrots and celery until a bit soft. Season with salt and pepper. You still want some crunch to the vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Drizzle some lemon juice over the vegetables. Set aside.

(6) Cut a large piece of parchment paper, fold in half and cut out a half heart. The parchment paper should open into a full heart. Be generous with the heart size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Place the sauteed vegetables in the middle of one half of the heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Place the salmon on top of the vegetables, skin side down.

(9) Rub the top of the salmon with the Chinese 5 spice. Sprinkle salt pepper and the fennel seeds over the salmon. Drizzle some more lemon over the salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) Fold the heart into two to cover the salmon. Now starting from the top end of the half heart, start folding the parchment paper into triangles, each triangle overlapping the one before it. Do this until you get to the end of the triangle and tuck the end underneath the parchment paper. The folds will seal the fish inside the parchment paper. This is important as the fish is going to cook in its own steam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(11) Place the fish on an oven safe pan and bake in preheated oven. This would take about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size of salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This fish can be served in the parchment paper case. Just place it on the plate and open the top of the parchment paper with a pair of scissors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For other salmon meals, check out the Seafood Page here.