Salmon In Parchment With Potatoes And Fennel
serves 2
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4 (preferably thick) salmon filets
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1-inch dice
10 fresh basil leaves,sliced
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 medium fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
prep: 15 minutes
total: 50 minutes
baking sheet
parchment paper
grater (or zester)
digital, instant-read meat thermometer
1. Preheat the oven to 400F and put a baking sheet on the middle rack. Season the salmon on both sides with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Prep the potatoes, basil and lemon zest.
2. For the fennel, cut off the green stalks off the bulb and save them for another use. Cut off and discard the very bottom root end of the white bulb. Rinse and dry the bulb, then cut it in half through the core. Slice it very thinly crosswise.
3. In a large bowl, toss the fennel with the potatoes, basil leaves, lemon zest, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper about twenty inches long. Fold it in half (like you're closing a book) then open it back up. Put 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the middle of the center fold. Put 1 salmon filet on top of the vegetables. Cover the salmon with another 1/4 of the vegetable mixture.
5. Fold the paper over so that the two ends meet (closing a book again). Beginning at either end of the center fold, make overlapping diagonal folds so that you make a tight pocket around the food. The end result will be a half-crescent shape that looks sort of like a fried pie.
6. Repeat steps 3. and 4. for the second papillote.
7. Place each papillote on the baking sheet in the oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. When done, the papillote will inflate and become aromatic. The salmon will be barely done in the center. (The first couple of times you cook this way, you may want to take the temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the parchment paper. Although the closed pocket keeps the chicken moist, it's worth checking the temperature early and often during these first attempts so that you can see how long it usually takes for the chicken to cook through.)
8. Put each packet on a plate and cut the flat end open with scissors or a sharp knife. Slide the paper out from under the ingredients (like you're pulling a table cloth out from underneath a set table.)
9. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
2. For the fennel, cut off the green stalks off the bulb and save them for another use. Cut off and discard the very bottom root end of the white bulb. Rinse and dry the bulb, then cut it in half through the core. Slice it very thinly crosswise.
3. In a large bowl, toss the fennel with the potatoes, basil leaves, lemon zest, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper about twenty inches long. Fold it in half (like you're closing a book) then open it back up. Put 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the middle of the center fold. Put 1 salmon filet on top of the vegetables. Cover the salmon with another 1/4 of the vegetable mixture.
5. Fold the paper over so that the two ends meet (closing a book again). Beginning at either end of the center fold, make overlapping diagonal folds so that you make a tight pocket around the food. The end result will be a half-crescent shape that looks sort of like a fried pie.
6. Repeat steps 3. and 4. for the second papillote.
7. Place each papillote on the baking sheet in the oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. When done, the papillote will inflate and become aromatic. The salmon will be barely done in the center. (The first couple of times you cook this way, you may want to take the temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the parchment paper. Although the closed pocket keeps the chicken moist, it's worth checking the temperature early and often during these first attempts so that you can see how long it usually takes for the chicken to cook through.)
8. Put each packet on a plate and cut the flat end open with scissors or a sharp knife. Slide the paper out from under the ingredients (like you're pulling a table cloth out from underneath a set table.)
9. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
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