In cooking terms they call this “salmon en papillote” but in our house we call it fish in a bag! Personally I love this way of cooking fish because you throw out all the bits & pieces after cooking the fish so there is no “fishy” smell hanging around the house or kitchen equipment. It is also very quick and easy to prepare, which is a must when you have a busy household. The kids love the bright colours from the bulghar salad and are huge fans of the salmon too.
If using frozen fish fillets take them out in the morning at breakfast time. Leave the fillets on a plate covered in a cool dry spot to defrost until you’re ready to cook in the afternoon. If it’s a particularly warm day then defrost on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Baked Salmon en Papillote Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 salmon fillets (skin off)
- 200g of bulghar wheat or couscous
- 40g of butter
- 2 spring onions
- 1-2 lemons
- 1 red pepper
- 1 carrot
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Cut the greaseproof paper into 4 equal pieces.
- Pour the bulghar wheat into a large heatproof bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover it, then cover tightly with cling film and put to one side.
- Slice the lemon thinly and place 2 slices of lemon in the centre of each piece of greaseproof paper.
- Put a fillet of salmon on top of the lemon, season with salt and black pepper, then place a knob of butter (10g) on top of the salmon.
- Take the 4 corners of the greaseproof paper and pull them together then twist to seal the salmon into a parcel. Scrunch the paper together so that it is tightly sealed. Place your parcels into an ovenproof dish, then put it directly into the oven for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the red pepper, spring onions and carrots into equal sized pieces.
- Remove the cling film from the bulghar wheat, as it should have soaked up all the hot water at this stage. Stir in the chopped vegetables.
- When ready to serve, spoon the bulghar wheat salad into a bowl. It can be served warm or cold.
- Open a parcel and flip the salmon upside down on top of the salad. This will allow the juices captured in the parcel to be used as a dressing for your salad.
This recipe, and more, is available on Wholesome Ireland
About the Author: Caitriona Redmond
