Salmon En Papillote with Bell Peppers, Brown Rice and Quinoa

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 salmon fillets, skin off (about 1/2 lb. all together for portion-controlled size, more if you have a bigger appetite!)
  • 2 cups pre-cooked brown rice (pre-packaged brown rice and quinoa mixture is used in TV segment)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, julienne
  • 1 shallot, finely sliced
  • 1-2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp. Sherry wine
  • 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 lemon slices
  • 2 tbsp. water
  • Salt & pepper, to taste (optional)
  • Parchment paper, for packaging food
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Prepare all your ingredients -- cut up your vegetables, portion out your salmon fillets, etc.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  3. Tear off 2 pieces of parchment paper. Aim for at least 12" x 12" in size for each one, but I like to go a couple inches longer in length and width for good insurance that all the ingredients will fit inside the paper when it's folded over.
  4. Fold each paper in half, and using scissors, cut a half-heart shape (so when you open the paper back up, it's shaped like a heart).
  5. Arrange your packets: Start with a cup of rice per packet. Layer it close to the crease, but keep it and all the other ingredients on one half of the "heart". 
  6. Divide up the red and orange bell pepper slices and shallot slivers equally between the 2 packets. 
  7. Top with a piece of salmon in each packet, and sprinkle the minced garlic evenly over both pieces of fish.
  8. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of Sherry wine, and 1 tbsp. of water in each packet.
  9. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.
  10. Sprinkle dill evenly over all the ingredients, then top fish with 2 slices of lemon each.
  11. Time to wrap up each packet. Fold the other half of the "heart" over to cover the food, then starting at the curved end, start to fold the edges over. Do this tightly so the steam doesn't escape while cooking!
  12. Place packets on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. (You may choose to add a minute or two extra if your fillets are much bigger than the portion-controlled size designated above.)
  13. Cut open the packets and serve. You can serve it in the parchment on a plate for presentation purposes. Just use scissors, and cut a big X in the top of the packet and peel the edges back so you can see all the food. OR, what I like to do, cut open the packets and gently slide everything onto the plate.
**NOTE: If you end up choosing a starch that is not pre-cooked, or has a cooking time that is longer than the fish's 12-minute cooking time, you'll want to prepare it separately from the fish and veggies. However, I found many brands in the rice aisle of the store that have something suitable for this recipe. The rice is pre-cooked and sealed up, and the instructions on the back usually call for a little water and oil to be added, and a cooking time in the microwave or on stove top of just a couple minutes. Look for a product like that!

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