Recipes: Ginger Salmon En Papillote

This recipe is so easy and SO delicious. I don't want to brag, but I actually impressed myself! I don't cook with fish often and hope to experiment more. Cooking en papillote, French for "in parchment," is so surprisingly easy! The paper and oven do all the work for you. It's glorious. The salmon is so buttery and tasty, but still so healthy with this cooking method. Try it! Thank me later ;)

1 large carrot, peeled

1 bell pepper (any color)

1 Tbsp ginger, peeled 

3 Tbsp soy sauce (I use low sodium, gluten free)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

large handful bean sprouts

large handful (sugar) snap peas

2 fresh salmon filets

olive oil

pepper

parchment paper (aluminum foil can be used, but parchment is best!)

Serves 2.

~Preheat oven to 400F.

    

~Julienne carrots and bell pepper. Mince ginger.

~In a small bowl, whisk together minced ginger, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar; set aside.

~If you like, filet the skin off the salmon [I did because a) I don't like to eat it and b) I believe it lets the flavor absorb into the fish a little better]. This did not affect the moisture in the fish at all!

~Tear off two sheets of parchment, at least 16x12. Fold each sheet lengthwise. Open the one sheet and set the other aside.

~Just to the side of the fold, centered between top and bottom, create a base layer of snow peas. Layer carrots, bell peppers, and bean sprouts. Keep the layers thin but broad, as the salmon will need to rest on top of this delicious pile of veggies. 

~Drizzle about a Tbsp of the sauce over the vegetables, and then set the salmon atop the bean sprouts. Drizzle about 2 Tbsp more sauce over the salmon. Be generous here! Just leave half the original amount for the other filet. 

~ Fold the parchment back in half over the salmon. Starting from the corner (I started with bottom left corner), make overlapping folds (upward and back toward you) and work your way around the fish--be gentle! When you come to the opposite corner, tuck the end back under the fish. This way the steam is locked in the parchment, allowing the fish to cook surrounded in all that goodness. 

~Repeat with the remaining ingredients on the second sheet of parchment.

~Line a cookie sheet with foil or another piece of parchment paper. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes, until the paper puffs up.

~Transfer packages to plates. When serving, slice open the parchment (watch out for the steam!) and eat right out of the paper. Et voilà!