Guest Post : Salmon en papillote with white wine and cherry tomatoes

This is a wonderful recipe from my guest poster Kate. You can check out her blog, If You Can Make That You Can Make This, for more awesome recipes!

Jon hates fish. Really hates it. All of it. This is clearly irrational, and it started, as many such things do, in his childhood. His mother made him fish pie. It may have had a bone in it. Jon refused to finish it. His mother told him to sit there until he did. He sat. It went cold. She warmed it up. He sat. It went cold. She warmed it up again. The smell of congealing fish permeated the kitchen. He sat. It went cold. He sat. “You little bugger” said his mother. It’s the only time in his life that Jon can remember her swearing.

So this is what I make when I’m home alone.

“En Papillote” is simply a way of cooking in a parcel so that the food inside can steam gently to itself, developing the flavor and creating a sauce. The little packages puff up as they cook, and can be served as they are straight onto plates. It’s like unwrapping an especially delicious present.

I construct my parcels out of aluminum foil – much easier than parchment paper, and less likely to catch fire in an unreliable gas oven (a couple of close calls).

Ingredients (per parcel)

• Lay out a rectangle of foil about the size of a sheet of printer paper
• Chop up the red onion into thin half moons or dice the shallot. Place in the middle of the foil
• Place the salmon on top, season well and dot with butter
• Pull the edges of the foil up and over as though you’re going to make the parcel. Now tip in the cherry tomatoes (so they won’t roll away) and pour over the white wine
• Press and scrunch the edges together to seal the foil.
• Place in a preheated oven at 350 for 15 minutes (a little longer if your salmon is especially thick, a little less time if you prefer your salmon a little rare – 12–15 minutes)

If you can make that you can make this

• Add a handful of kalamata olives to the parcel for a going-in-the-direction-of Greek touch. Sprinkle over chopped parsley at the end
• Add a handful of green beans and some kalamata olives to the parcel for an unorthodox take on niscoise
• Lay a few stalks of thyme on top of the salmon before cooking
• Use lemon instead of white wine
• Add a dash of cream to the white wine or lemon for a more luxurious sauce
• Add a handful of drained tinned chick peas for a more substantial meal