How to cook delicate salmon in parchment paper
It sounds a bit upscale, but en papillote (pronounced ahn pa-pea-yawt) is actually a quick and easy way to cook delicate foods like fish. It literally means “in paper” or “in parchment.”
This French cooking technique calls for steaming food by enclosing it in parchment paper and baking it in the oven. Cooking in this manner typically calls for adding citrus slices, herbs and a small amount of liquid such as wine, juice or stock to the packet along with vegetables and seafood or chicken.
The key to proper cooking is making sure to fold the ends of the paper well in order to keep the steam and liquid inside the packet. Although parchment paper is traditionally used, aluminum foil works as well.
Salmon, as featured in today’s recipe, is a great heart-healthy seafood choice. The American Heart Association recommends eating two 3.5-ounce servings of non-fried fish every week. Seafood is low in saturated fat, and it’s a good source of protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12. In addition, it delivers hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Hoisin-ginger salmon en papillote
Serves: 4 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Total time: 20 minutes
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1⁄ teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2
Parchment paper
1 orange, cut into 8 thin, round slices
20 sugar snap peas (about 1 1⁄ cups) 2
20 red bell pepper strips (about 3⁄ of a
4 large pepper)
2 cups thinly sliced baby bok choy
4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
1⁄ teaspoon salt 4
1⁄ teaspoon black pepper 8
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together water, orange juice concentrate, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, gingerroot and sesame oil. Fold 4 (16-by12-inch) parchment paper squares in half lengthwise.
To assemble each packet, place 2 orange slices near the fold line of the parchment paper. Top orange slices with 5 snap peas, 5 red bell pepper strips, 1⁄ cup sliced bok choy and one
2 salmon fillet. Drizzle 1⁄ of the orange
4 sauce over the salmon.
Fold the top half of the parchment paper over the fish and overlap small folds along the open edge to seal. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the parchment paper puffs up. In a small dish, combine salt and pepper, carefully open each packet and season with salt and pepper.
Adapted from Kelsey Nixon, Food Network, and tested by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD for Heart Smart®, Henry Ford Health System.
309 calories (29% from fat), 10 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat, 0 grams trans fat), 22 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein, 339 mg sodium, 81 mg cholesterol, 95 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 1⁄ starch, 2
2 vegetable, 4 lean meat.