Salmon with Spinach, Citrus, and Fennel - En Papillote
Take a fresh center-cut piece of salmon, brush it with a rich, buttery olive oil and place it on bed of fresh spinach along with fragrant aromatics of fennel and shallots. Top the salmon with slices of orange and fonds of fennel, then wrap everything up in a packet made of parchment paper. As the salmon bakes, the packet puffs up and you’ll have the most delectable, succulent piece of salmon. All in under 30 minutes!
Equipment
- Parchment paper or foil
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- For each serving:
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 8 to 10 rings of sliced shallot
- 8 to 10 slices of cored fennel bulb
- 2 teaspoons orange juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 center-cut salmon fillet, about 4-ounces, about 1-½ inches in thickness
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 orange slices
- 2 small pieces of fennel fronds*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to400-degrees.
- For each piece of salmon, tear off a sheet of parchment paper, about 20” in length. Place the fresh spinach on the parchment paper, leaving about ⅔ of the paper to fold over the salmon.
- Top the spinach with the sliced shallot and fennel, sprinkle each with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Drizzle the orange juice over the top.
- Place the salmon fillet on the bed of spinach and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Top the salmon with the orange slices, then place the fennel fronds across the top of the oranges.
- Fold the longer half of the parchment paper over the salmon, evening up the edges. Then starting at the corner, fold pleats in the paper, crimping to close the paper around the salmon, creating a packet.
- Place the packet on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes - 18 minutes if you like the salmon a little pink in the center.
- Serve in the parchment or remove and plate.
Notes
Make yourself a single serving or as many as needed. If you want to prepare the salmon in advance, use a sheet of foil instead of parchment paper - it will hold up better to the juice from the citrus. Just lightly spray the foil with a cooking spray to prevent the spinach and salmon from sticking. You can assemble the packets and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Let them rest at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes to take the chill off the salmon so it cooks evenly.
*If you can't find fennel with the fronds still attached, you can add additional sliced fennel to the top of the salmon, or skip this step.