“En papillote”, which translates to”in parchment” in French, refers to a culinary technique where you wrap food in parchment paper and bake it. It is most often used with fish, as well as vegetables. Generally, food releases liquid when exposed to high heat (e.g. when in an oven). By trapping this moisture, the “en papilotte” method becomes an enhanced form of steaming.
The key to a flavorful dish lies in the aromatics. Here, I gave a number of different options–as a general rule of thumb, I wouldn’t add more than two aromatics, or else the flavors will start competing with one another. Stick with one or two bold flavors, and you’ll be set.
Salmon en Papillote
Serves 3-4
Time: about 20 minutes.
- parchment paper
- 1 pound salmon, cut into 3 or 4 portions
- 2 lemons- 1 juiced, 1 sliced thinly
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- pepper
Optional aromatics/seasonings:
- dill
- capers
- thyme
- white wine (just about a teaspoon per portion)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper into a 15” square. Fold each piece of paper in half (crosswise) and draw half a heart shape, with the fold at the center of the heart. Cut along lines and open.
Lay a piece of salmon in the center of paper. Distribute lemon juice over the salmon and drizzle each piece with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Top salmon with a few lemon slices and any additional aromatics.
Fold the parchment paper over the salmon to seal it in an envelope. Make tight, overlapping folds along the edge to seal completely. Repeat for all portions.
Place envelopes on a baking sheet and put in oven. Bake until salmon is opaque and flakes easily, about 10 minutes.