A classic French dish that marries the delicate flavor of salmon with subtle vegetables and aromatics, all sealed in parchment paper that preserves the juices and fragrant aromas. This light and refined dish will impress your guests while being surprisingly easy to prepare.
⏱️45 min
📊Easy
👥4 servings
🍽️Main
lightquickfamilyfestive
Ingredients
4 pièces de 180gfresh salmon fillets
2 pièceszucchini
2 piècescarrots
250 gbutton mushrooms
1 piècefresh lemon
1 bottefresh dill
40 gsalted butter
5 gfine sea salt
2 gfreshly ground pepper
4 feuillesparchment paper
Instructions
1PREPARE THE VEGETABLES: Gently clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them thinly. Peel the carrots and zucchini, then cut them into julienne (thin matchsticks) approximately 3mm thick for uniform cooking. You should have fine vegetables that will cook quickly and evenly without remaining tough. Squeeze the lemon to extract all the juice and reserve it in a small bowl.
2PREPARE THE PAPILLOTES: Cut 4 rectangles of parchment paper in A4 format (approximately 30cm x 25cm) and lay them flat on your work surface. Place each sheet on a plate to keep it flat. Drizzle a light touch of olive oil or place 5g of butter in the center of each papillote to create a protective base. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to the paper and make cleanup easier.
3ASSEMBLE THE PAPILLOTES: On each buttered papillote, first place a bed of julienned carrots and zucchini, then the sliced mushrooms. Season this bed of vegetables lightly with a pinch of fine sea salt and a grind of pepper. Next, place the salmon fillet on top, skin side up. Check for any remaining bones by running your finger over the fillet and remove them if necessary with tweezers.
4SEASON AND AROMATIZE: Pour 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice over each salmon fillet. Place 10g of salted butter in small pieces on the salmon and finish with a few sprigs of fresh dill, finely chopped. Season the fish with a pinch of fine sea salt and a grind of pepper. Fresh dill is essential to accompany the salmon and create a delicious aromatic harmony.
5CLOSE THE PAPILLOTES: Fold the two long sides of the paper toward the center to completely wrap the contents. Then fold the two short ends by overlapping them well to create a hermetically sealed envelope. The papillote must be well sealed so that the steam remains trapped inside and cooks the food to perfection. Verify that no food protrudes from the edges.
6COOK EN PAPILLOTE: Preheat your oven to 190°C (setting 6-7) for 5 minutes. Arrange the 4 closed papillotes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes: the salmon should be cooked through but remain tender and slightly pink inside near the backbone. To check doneness, you can carefully open one papillote slightly (the steam is very hot) - the flesh should flake easily with a fork.
7PLATE AND SERVE: Remove the papillotes from the oven carefully using oven mitts or kitchen gloves, as they are very hot. Place each papillote on a preheated plate. At the moment of tasting, guests gently open their papillote at the table to discover the aromas escaping in fragrant wisps. It is a theatrical and delicious moment that is part of the pleasure of this classic dish.