Cooking Salmon En Papillote
Baking in Parchment Paper Locks in Flavors of Fresh Fish Fillet
Aug 30, 2009
"En papillote" is a French term that means "in paper." In the culinary world, "en papillote" refers to a cooking method in which food is placed inside a parchment paper package and cooked in its own juices. This method of cooking in parchment paper is great for this recipe, because the parchment paper package allows the fish fillet to steam without becoming dry. An additional benefit of this cooking method lies in the dish's healthy component--no additional oil or fat is needed to cook the fish.
In this recipe, the salmon fillets are placed on a bed of fennel and dressed with an olive tapenade. The olive tapenade, layered with a few slices of fresh lemon, packs the fish with a wonderful flavor. When preparing your parchment paper packages, don't wrap them too tightly--there should be enough room in the packets for the paper to expand and puff up during cooking.
When the fish is done cooking, transfer the paper packages to individual serving plates, open the top of the paper and serve with cooked rice to complete the meal.
RECIPE
Salmon with Olive Tapenade En Papillote
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
- Zest of half a lemon
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 fennel bulbs, sliced lengthwise, about 2 pounds
- 4 six-ounce fillets of salmon, boned and skinned
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place two baking sheets in the oven to heat. To prepare the olive tapenade, coarsely chop olives, garlic, capers and lemon zest on a parchment-covered cutting board. Place the chopped mixture in a bowl. Add the pepper, mustard and parsley, and stir in enough olive oil to bind the mixture together. Set aside.
- Cut four 24-inch pieces of parchment paper. Fold each piece of parchment in half crosswise. Using scissors, cut a half-heart shape out of each piece of parchment and open.
- Divide the fennel slices evenly among the pieces of parchment paper, forming a stack on one side of the paper. Sprinkle each serving with a teaspoon of the olive tapenade and season to taste with salt. Place a salmon fillet on top of each serving of fennel; season with salt. Top each parchment paper package with the remaining tapenade mixture and 2 slices of lemon.
- Fold the parchment paper over the ingredients, making small overlapping folds along the edge of the paper to seal the ingredients inside the paper.
- Using a large spatula, place the packets on the preheated baking sheets. Bake until the parchment papers have puffed and the fish is cooked, about 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the packets to individual serving plates. Serve immediately with rice.
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