Citrus Tarragon Salmon en Papillote

Nothing is better than the first warm day of the year.  During my bike ride across DC yesterday, it made me so happy to see Dupont circle and M street full of people again.  I got out of class early to "enjoy the rest of the day" and that meant a stop at my favorite frozen yogurt shop to people watch before picking up something spring-y to cook for dinner.  I have been really good about not buying food for lunch so I thought I would splurge on a piece of salmon for dinner.  I wanted to try something different than my typical sear on both sides and throw in the oven to finish, so I picked up a roll of parchment paper to experiment with the en papillote technique.

En papillote is french for "in parchment."  Basically, you get a giant sheet of parchment paper, butter every space you think you will use, put down a layer of vegetables, top with the fish, and add a little liquid before wrapping up and baking.  A space is left in the packet to allow the fish to steam.  I chose to use what I had leftover in my fridge to line the parchment (zucchini, red bell peppers, and green beans) with a filet of salmon and paired it with a citrus, tarragon, and dijon mustard sauce.  Bright and tangy, a great spring dish.

Best part?  It cooks up in under 15 minutes and took me only the time to preheat the oven to prepare my pouch.  It was a perfect single person meal, with leftovers for lunch the next day.  Double it for an impressive date night, cut open table side.  Get creative, this is more of a technique than a recipe!



Citrus Tarragon Salmon en Papillote
1 8 oz filet of salmon, skinned
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1/2 a zucchini, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 a red bell pepper, julienned
enough green beans to line the parchment
1/2 an orange, zest and juice
1/2 a lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.  Cut a piece of parchment big enough to hold the fish and a little extra air space.  Use the butter to grease a space big enough for the fish.  Prepare the vegetables.

Line on the parchment sheet, with the vegetables

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place over the vegetables.

Prepare the sauce by combining the lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, tarragon, and mustard.  Pour over the fish and vegetables.

To wrap up the parchment, bring the sides along the long side of the filet.  Roll it tightly, then roll in the two other sides to seal.  Allow a little air space to allow the fish to steam in the sauce.

Bake for about 12 minutes, shorter for a thinner fish.  My fish was fat, so I had to pop it in for a little longer.

The parchment will have turned slightly brown, the vegetables will have cooked, and the fish will be flaky and flavorful.  Enjoy!