Cooking in Parchment: Salmon and Asparagus

It’s National Parchment Day! Whoop De Do. I’ve lined my baking dishes with parchment paper, but I’ve never cooked in parchment. Have you?

It looks like it’s a French thing used to cook mainly fish, seafood and vegetables.

According to the National Day Calendar “ Parchment infuses flavor, locks in moisture and preserves vital nutrients. It has been a part of the traditional French kitchen making ever versatile parchment conveniently transition from skillet to oven and from grill to table. It’s ability to be elegant as well as useful makes parchment paper one of the most effective tools in the kitchen.

Cooking “en papillote” enhances natural flavors, without the synthetic sprays and high-fat oils. Not only does culinary parchment simplify preparation and clean-up, but it’s also a much healthier and environmentally friendlier alternative to traditional cooking techniques. The French have cooked with parchment for centuries, perfecting taste and texture in every dish. It has long-served as the secret to preparing wholesome, healthy meals.

With all these added benefits, it’s difficult to ignore what parchment brings to the kitchen and to the table.  Use a variety of parchment products to make composing delicious meals in the home kitchen a culinary success.”

Salmon and Asparagus
Serves 4
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound potato, sliced very thinly
• 1 pound asparagus*, trimmed
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound salmon (or trout), cut into 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon white miso or Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced/grated
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill) (optional)
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• pepper to taste
• Garnish with sliced lemons
• Gordon Ramsay cooks his lemons in a skillet and seasons them with salt and pepper.

Directions:

1. Place the potato slices in a single layer across the center of 4, approximately 12 inch square, sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil, top with the asparagus, onions and salmon.
2. Mix the butter, miso, garlic, lemon juice and zest, dill, parmesan, and pepper and spread it across the top of the salmon before wrapping the parchment paper or aluminum foil up to seal the packets.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven (or grill/barbecue) until everything is tender, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Yum Yum!