Salmon en Papillote

I am a minimalist, or at least I try to be one..Moving twice with only a car full of belongings has taught me a very important lesson to not accumulate things, including cookbooks.

I hardly ever buy them and even those I hardly never use it. But its just something about cookbooks with large pictures, beautiful step-by-step tutorials makes me want to flip pages, salivate, & gives inspiration to make something from it. 

Well, last night as I was going through an old binder with recipes, I saw this classic technique en papillote, in French for 'in parchment" where food (mainly fish, poultry) is sealed in parchment paper with herbs and baked using steam. In another book What to Cook and How to Cook it I had noticed fresh salmon filet, with bok choy and Asian flavorings, but instead of pan searing - I used en papillote technique to make Salmon en Papillote.

Although the name sounds fancy, its extremely easy, cooks fast,  and healthy because it calls for very little or no fats/oil. Its very important to use lots of fragrant herbs, spices so that salmon (or any other fish/poultry) inside the pouch cooks slowly with steam and infuse it with flavor. 

I used garlic, onions, few spinach leaves , fresh rosemary, red chili pepper, salt, & pepper.

En papillote part is fairly easy, all you do is seal the salmon in parchment paper: Just make sure you have parchment paper, scissors, & cooking spray.

-Cut individual heart or square shaped parchment paper, spray the cooking oil.

-Place the filet, top it with your choice of seasonings, and seal them by folding all ends. 

Preheat the oven to 450F and bake for 10-12 minutes (Cooking time may vary depending upon the type of fish or poultry). 

I plated the salmon on a bed of wanna-be sriracha mustard aioli and drizzled some on top too. 

 

..it was very moist, and had robust flavor from rosemary & onions. Using fennel, celery, carrots, basil is also suggested in this kind of recipe. 

I enjoyed it with a side of rice, and some sauteed vegetables. If stored properly, it stays good for next day too. Simply heat it up before eating or chop them and enjoy with salad next day.