Salmon "En Papillote"

"Papillote" is a fancy French word for "in a bag". It's actually a very easy way to lock in the juices that flavor your foods while they bake. For instance, try out this sweet and flavorful salmon recipe.

Salmon en Papillote-serves 4

4 skinless 6-oz center-cut fillets

1 small orange

1 lemon

1/2 Serrano chili, thinly sliced

1/3 cup olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup fresh rosemary

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lay a 24" piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet.

Cut the lemon and orange in half. Cut one half of both fruits into thin slices. Squeeze the juice out of the rest of the fruits. 

As for the parchment paper, fold it in half like a book, open it and put half of the slices of fruit into a line in the center of one half. Then, sprinkle half of the rosemary over the fruit and lay the salmon on top. Drizzle on the oil, salt, juices and roughly a quarter of the slices and rosemary you have left. 

Now, fold the other half of the paper over the fish and fold over the edges to make a little pocket. Bake on the middle shelf until cooked through, roughly 10-12 minutes. Poke a thin, sharp knife through the parchment; if it slides through easily, it's done. Otherwise, let it bake for a few minutes more. Do not open the parchment paper until the fish is done because you'll lose some of the sauce. When it's done, remove the fruits and place on a plate. Drizzle the olives, chilies and the rest of the juice and rosemary. Serve with a side of steamed broccoli, green beans or whatever other side you want. 

I haven't tried this, but perhaps it would work for you. Sometimes we will place thinly-sliced zucchini and squash in the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle some cooking oil and spices and fold in the sides to make a pocket. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Hey, if you've already got the oven on...:)

Enjoy!