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Salmon is arguably one of my favorite proteins when it comes to deciding what to make for dinner. Offering an abundance of healthy fats and delicious flavor, it is a salmon fillet that I will enjoy at least once a week. I prefer wild salmon (above you see I used Sockeye salmon), but there are other healthy options as well (read this article for more information).
Simply cooked with salt, pepper and a tablespoon of butter, this option is one I go-to for work lunches if I am preparing in the morning before heading out the door. But sometimes, something more scrumptious should be done to amplify the special flavor of salmon, and I have just the recipe (still simple) for you to choose: Salmon en Papillote (salmon in paper).
Each month in Bon Appétit‘s magazine they offer recipes from a readers’ favorite restaurants, and it was The Bazaar‘s recipe for slow-roasted salmon in parchment paper, located in Miami Beach, that immediately caught my attention.
While I tweaked a few things regarding the citrus option, one of the ingredients I did not have on hand to finish this recipe the first time I made it was the suggested Italian Castelvetrano olives which offer a wonderful sweet flavor to the dish. Even if you don’t have olives, make this dish. And even if you don’t have these precise olives, but instead green olives or something similar, make this dish. (Read more about the many varieties of olives and how they are farmed in this conversation.) It is scrumptious. A light, subtle sweet flavor with the raisins and rum, and the salmon is always tender and melts in your mouth.
Pair with delicious glass of your favorite white wine and feel truly spoiled without having to work as hard as it appears you did.
Salmon en Papillote: A Delicious Gift to Unwrap
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- fleur de sel
- 1 cup olives pitted and quartered (Castelvetrano olives if possible)
- 1/4 cup drained capers
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 6 Tbsp dark rum
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 4-6 oz salmon fillet pat dry
- 1 bay leaf optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the sliced onion, bay leaf (optional - use the freshest possible), a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Keep the heat low, and do not rush as you do not want the onion to brown too fast as you want them onion to become soft and translucent.
- While the onions are cooking, season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Set aside until the entire sauce is cooked (more of those instructions below).
- Once onions are cooked, add olives, capers, raisin, and 2 Tbsp water to the skillet and combine to cook. Stir occasionally until the olives are soft (approximately 4 minutes).
- Add the rum and cook until the liquid is evaporated and soaked into the other ingredients (approximately 5 minutes).
- Remove the skillet and stir in the lemon juice and 1 Tbsp water. Feel free to add a dash or two more of water to make a thinner sauce (only if needed).
- Season with salt.
- Cut four large sheets of parchment paper.
- Once the sauce is complete, place the parchment on a baking sheet (so you do not have to move them once filled), fill each parchment paper with the following ingredients and steps: Spoon one-quarter of the sauce into one side of the parchment; create a well in the sauce the approximately size of the salmon (almost creating a nest for the salmon); place salmon in the nest; drizzle with olive oil; now fold over the side of the parchment paper that is empty - enveloping your salmon. Gather the two edges and fold as though you were dog-earring the pages of a book. Fold at an angle all the way around to the other side. It won't look perfect, but so long as the paper remains closed, the heat will primarily stay inside the parchment while cooking (view my IG Story Highlights - Recipes - to see how it looks when it comes out of the oven - @thesimplyluxuriouslife).
- Bake in the oven until salmon is cooked through, about 20-22 minutes (thicker cuts will need more time). Upon removing from the oven, let steam on a cooling rack for 2 minutes.
- Unwrap at the table with guests or in the kitchen. Finish with a wedge of lemon is desired and enjoy with a lovely glass of crisp white wine or a rosé.
~View more of TSLL’s Recipes here.
These look amazing! As luck would have it, I actually have salmon fillets in the fridge so might even try it out tonight. I’d never have thought to add olives and capers even though we love them so am sure they will taste delicious.
Sarah http://www.livechicandwell.com
You’ll love it. I too made this recipe without specifically making a list to get the ingredients at the market (thus why I didn’t have olives the first time), but the other ingredients are standard in my épicerie, so I gave it a whirl and it turned out amazing. Have a lovely dinner. 🙂
Hi Shannon
I am new to your blog
Firstly I would just like to say thank you for such inspirational writing
Reading it is like going on a journey of discovery in prose
En papillote is such a lovely way to cook fish
Like you I prefer wild salmon
I find the rum ingredient intriguing! I normally use wine or my own farm produced cider ( a la normande). I definitely will be cooking my salmonwith the rum over the Xmas holidays. I have a stash of it for my Xmas goodies such as my luscious fruit cake and mince pies.Will let you know how it turned out.
Cheers
Best Wishes
Kameela
Thank you for stopping by and saying hello. Using cider sounds like a lovely alternative. Thank you for sharing your approach. 🙂
This looks lovely, I can’t wait to try it!
Another way that I like to enjoy salmon is to coat the top of the fillet with a good mustard, and then crushed almonds. Bake it just as you normally would. Quick, elegant and delicious!
Great idea! Thank you for sharing. 🙂