chef johns salmon in parchment

Fish & Seafood

Chef John's Salmon in Parchment

Cooking fish in parchment paper is incredibly simple, and yet fairly terrifying for a novice cook. Since the seafood is encased in paper, there's really no good way to check if it's done. The good news, with this recipe—Chef John's salmon in parchment—if you use a large, center-cut salmon fillet, about 8 or 9 ounces, and cook it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, you're going to be very, very close.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil, or more if needed
6 small potatoes
10 spears asparagus
2 (8 ounce) skinless, boneless, center-cut salmon fillets
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Fold two pieces of parchment paper in half; cut a half-circle starting at each crease. You should have two heart-shaped pieces of parchment when unfolded. Coat both sides of each parchment heart with olive oil.
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
While potatoes simmering, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus, and cook uncovered until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus is cold, drain well, and set aside.
Place 1 salmon fillet, half the asparagus, and half the potatoes in the middle of one side of one prepared parchment paper heart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Fold other half of paper heart over; seal parchment edge by making overlapping folds around the edge. At the end, fold the last crease in the opposite direction of the rest to ensure it seals. Repeat with the second piece of prepared parchment and remaining ingredients. Place pouches on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting parchment open. The salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.