Pretty Parchment Packets: Salmon en Papillote

A lot of times when friends come into town, they want to take advantage of being by the ocean and go to a "seafood restaurant" for dinner.  I'm always a little perplexed by that request because in San Francisco, you can get fish at almost every restaurant, not just seafood restaurants.  However, I do have a go-to spot to satisfy that craving:  Hyde Street Seafood House. My favorite thing to get is the Salmon en Papillote.  En Papillote is a traditional French technique of baking in parchment paper .  I love the rustiness of the preparation and the simplicity of the flavors.  I've always wanted to try making it myself, and when I saw a how-to guide in this month's issue of Cooking Light I decided to finally give it a shot.  Not only was it super easy, it tasted fantastic!  The Hub and I had fun cutting open our pretty parchment packets to see how it turned out.

I've included a step by step photo guide, so try it out! You’ll Need:

• parchment paper
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  unsalted butter, softened
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh dill
• 2  (6-ounce) fillets, such as Arctic Char, Sockeye Salmon or wild Alaskan Salmon (about 1 inch thick)
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/4  cup  julienne-cut leeks
• 1/4  cup  julienne-cut red bell pepper
• 1/3  cup  julienne-cut carrots

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450°. 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir until blended.

3. Cut 2 (15 x 24-inch) pieces of parchment paper.

Fold in half crosswise. Draw a large heart half on each piece, with the fold of the paper along the center of the heart.

Cut out the heart, and open.

Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt and pepper. Place one fillet near fold of each parchment heart. Top each fillet with half the vegetables and half the butter mixture.

Start at the top of the heart and fold edges of parchment, sealing edges with narrow folds. Twist the end tip to secure tightly.

Place packets on a baking sheet.

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.Place on plates; cut open. Serve immediately.

2 Responses to “Pretty Parchment Packets: Salmon en Papillote”

1. Karen says:

   March 3, 2011 at 4:08 pm

   Impressive Miss Haute! You are such a gourmet cook!

   Reply
   • Natalie says:

     March 3, 2011 at 7:48 pm

     Thank you Karen – you are too sweet! It was actually REALLY easy – ha! Try it out! :)

     Reply