This salmon en papillote is cooked in parchment paper for delicious, juicy salmon that is baked to perfection in the oven. The salmon fillets are cooked on top of a bed of shallots and carrots for a delicious meal that's so easy to make.
According to Aimee, salmon en papillote is the very first dinner I ever cooked for her. I had to break it to her that this was my go-to dish for impressing the ladies. It checks all of the boxes:
- Sounds fancy – salmon en papillote just means “salmon in parchment” but when heard in my outrageous French accent just makes your knees weak.
- Looks cool – few homemade meals allow for such dramatic presentation. For this dish you plate the bag and the diner tears into it like a present…allowing the steam and savory smells to waft almost magically from the bag.
- Looks complicated (but super easy) to make – it uses one pan and a cookie sheet, so clean up is super easy too.
- Healthy and light – this recipe uses just 1 tablespoon of butter or oil and salt and pepper to taste.
What is salmon en papillote?
Salmon en papillote just means salmon that is cooked in parchment paper. The salmon is wrapped in a piece of parchment paper to form a parchment paper pouch, popped onto a sheet pan, and then baked in the oven.
The parchment paper allows the salmon to steam perfectly alongside the other veggies you cook with it. And yes, you can add other vegetables to the parchment paper packet to steam alongside the salmon!
Ingredients:
- Salmon filets
- Carrots
- Shallots
- Oil or butter
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon zest
- Lemon slices (for garnish!)
Should you remove the skin from the salmon?
Yes! In this salmon en papillote recipe you should. Otherwise the salmon skin just gets soft. We like to leave salmon skin on when we're doing something like pan-frying the salmon and getting the skin crispy, but this is not that recipe.
Can you use other types of fish?
Absolutely! You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly to adjust for the thickness of the fish, but you could definitely use mahi mahi, cod, or other fish in place of the salmon fillet.
Customizations:
- The shallots and carrots can get substituted out with any other veggies you like! Thinly cut root vegetables or sweet potatoes, thinly sliced zucchini, bell peppers, fennel, bok choy, etc. Just make sure the veggies are thinly sliced so that they get steamed to perfection. Some veggies may also need precooking before using.
- Add whatever herbs and spices you love! Dried oregano, dried thyme, or dried parsley area all delicious. Fresh herbs work great too. Some fresh dill, fresh thyme, or fresh oregano work well with this salmon en papillote.
What to serve with the salmon en papillote:
For a light dinner, I usually just serve the salmon as is!
For a more balanced dinner, I love to serve it with a grain like an orzo or rice pilaf or some seasoned quinoa. I am a huge lover of vegetables, so I also just love the salmon with some more veggies like this roasted asparagus or light arugula salad.
After opening the parchment paper bag, you can also serve with some fresh herbs or even a compound butter. I'm partial to harissa butter for that touch of spice. I always serve with lemon slices, so I can squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top of my salmon.
Recipe tips:
- If using any sliced vegetables, ensure they are sliced thinly so they will steam properly in the bag and cook at the same time as the salmon. If needed, saute the veggies before completing cooking in the parchment paper.
- It's important that the parchment paper is sealed properly to allow for steaming.
- Remove the skin from the salmon before cooking the salmon fillet.
Instructions:
To make the salmon en papillote, first, prepare the parchment heart. Take a large piece of parchment, fold it in half, and cut out a heart shape.
Repeat, so that you have two hearts.
Next, dice up the shallots and grate your carrots. Heat a little oil or butter in a pan, and saute the grated carrots and shallots.
While the shallots and carrots are cooking, skin the salmon if needed. And remove any pin bones if you find any.
Once the shallots and carrots are softened, divide the mixture among the two hearts.
Place a salmon fillet on top of each bed of shallots and carrots.
Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then add lemon zest.
Fold up the edges of the parchment heart so the parchment package is sealed. Then place on a baking sheet to cook.
Once cooked, serve on plates in the parchment paper so each person can tear open. Top with lemon slices if desired.
More salmon recipes to love:
Salmon en Papillote with Carrots and Shallots
Ingredients
- 3 carrots shredded
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 salmon fillets skin and bones removed
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 sheets of parchment cut roughly 15in x 20in
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat butter or oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté carrots and shallot until soft (3 - 4 minutes) adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold the parchment in half so it is 15in x 10in and cut a half heart shape so when unfolded it looks like a Valentine’s heart.
- Divide the sautéed vegetables onto the wider part of the hear parchment, close to, but not overlapping the fold. Place the fish on top of the vegetables. Top with lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Place the left half of parchment over the fish in the same way you cut out the heart.
- Folding: Starting at the top inseam of the heart fold over a 1 inch section of parchment toward the center of the heart. Working your way around the open side of parchment ½ inch at a time, continuing to fold the sections making sure you overlap the previous section so that no steam escapes. Once you get to the end, fold the long tail of the heart around a few times and tuck it underneath the bag.
- Place the bags in the oven on a cookie sheet for 9 or 10 minutes.
- Serve and tear in.
Notes
- If substituting out for other vegetables, ensure they are sliced thinly so they will steam properly in the bag and cook at the same time as the salmon. If needed, saute the veggies before completing cooking in the parchment paper.
- It's important that the parchment paper is sealed properly to allow for steaming.
- Remove the skin from the salmon before cooking the salmon fillet.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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