SERVES 4
Cooking en papillote (ahn pap-ee-OAT) is simply wrapping food in parchment paper and allowing it to self-steam in the oven. Everyone loves getting presents, and this dish comes neatly wrapped like a gift. The process of eating it is an experience in itself. As long as you’ve got onions and lemon zest, you can add or remove any ingredient as you desire. If you want to throw in some asparagus tops, go for it, because it’s basically going to steam and take on the flavor of the sauce.
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced into thin half-moons
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 can diced San Marzano tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
Salt and pepper to taste
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all the ingredients except the salmon and salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.
Cut parchment paper into four 15-inch squares. Place a salmon fillet on each parchment square and season with salt and pepper. Top each piece of fish with 1/4 of the fennel mixture.
Wrap the parchment paper around the fish and tie tightly with butcher’s twine. Place the packets on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes.
Place a packet on each diner’s plate and serve with roasted new potatoes, garnished with dill. You could also cook the potatoes in each packet, just be sure to slice them very, very thin.
Herbes de Provence is fairly expensive to buy (those French are fabulous but also know how to inflate prices), but you can make it yourself: it’s simply a mixture of dried thyme, rosemary, savory, marjoram, and lavender. You probably have thyme, rosemary, and possibly marjoram in your kitchen already. Use it. But please, don’t puncture that sachet in your hall closet to harvest the lavender. Use organic culinary lavender.