AI-generated image
Saumon en papillote
Salmon baked in paper parcel
Saumon en papillote: French salmon steamed in a paper parcel with lemon, dill and vegetables
Saumon en papillote is everyday French home cooking at its lightest: a fillet of salmon sealed in baking paper with ribbons of courgette and carrot, lemon and dill, so it steams in its own juices in the oven. Across France it is a favourite midweek dinner because there is almost no washing-up, and each person opens their own fragrant parcel at the table, ideally with boiled new potatoes or rice. The usual mistake is cutting the vegetables too thick, so the fish overcooks while they stay raw; slice them very thin. Chef's tip: fold and crimp the paper edges tightly all the way round, or the steam escapes and the salmon dries out.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 salmon filletsskinless, about 140 g each
- 1 courgettecut into thin ribbons with a peeler
- 1 carrotlarge, cut into thin ribbons with a peeler
- 1 shallotthinly sliced
- 1 lemonhalf thinly sliced, half juiced
- ⅓ oz dillsprigs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Cut 4 sheets of baking paper about 35 cm square.
1 minStep 3: Lay a piece of 4 salmon fillets on each pile. Season with the rest of ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper, squeeze over the juice from ½ lemon and top with the lemon slices (½ lemon) and ⅓ oz dill. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
3 minStep 4: Bring two sides of the paper together over the fish and fold them down tightly, then twist or crimp the ends like a sweet wrapper so the parcel is sealed. Set the parcels on a baking tray.
2 minStep 5: Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the parcels are puffed. Open one to check: the salmon should be opaque all the way through and flake easily at its thickest point (145°F).
14 minStep 6: Serve the parcels on plates for everyone to open, taking care of the hot steam.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does saumon en papillote take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of salmon fillets?
- Trout or any firm white fish, same weight (check white fish a little sooner).
- What can I use instead of courgette?
- Cucumber, same weight (raw dishes only).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
Sandwich grecKebab baguette
In Paris, a "grec" is the late-night kebab sandwich named after the Greek-run shops that first sold it in the Latin Quarter. On rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-André-des-Arts near Saint-Michel, students queue after a night out for crusty bread or pitta stuffed with meat shaved from a turning spit, lettuce, tomato and onion, a garlicky white sauce, and, the Paris touch, a handful of fries pushed right inside. This home version marinates chicken thighs in spiced yoghurt, sears them hard and slices them thin, with oven fries. It contains milk, egg (in the mayonnaise) and wheat. Chef's tip: slice the meat thinly across the grain after resting; thick chunks don't feel like a grec.
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek