Salmon in Parchment with Asparagus, Snap Peas & Herb Butter
/private_media/recipes_images/2023/04/21/23/1682118565.06956_file.webp?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAVLLBXKY7DKL4U6V4%2F20260612%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260612T004844Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEEAaCXVzLXdlc3QtMSJIMEYCIQCw2mk4fYqA6r7cc9uG8ost3RhR7r2HBOu%2Fmz%2BdqeL8uwIhAL2YHCUXKrzPyENUpIwOK%2BUfn953SE1PcRYOhJNiUvUOKusDCAkQAxoMMzY3OTYxNTI3ODcwIgwRrXbd842yMWR2WhYqyAMGZ317RAPvRD9H6sINTLbGhby5gOwa%2Fdgr%2Fw30sKSo204g9%2FgdOGjMsM09zGBE7W4rNBgwo4tGdtXHt2ZVR3bYC2SDF57%2FgFlOjpklEx9PMOlI99h6D4Lp5ATe6JmqHS0byhJoQcCT1%2Bf6OSBGpkSchG42BIyRwP5zjbEBX9pD6N5mX%2BLtVtlC4YAz7oSCBo%2FZEWtrdAL0zURcwdrwt0aJQuNrrc%2FV3etjnWJ94tr8t3K%2BAxFMOjYGpdciLOk9ghxnFpCy1arh%2FDm8jV36ApjS%2B5djIk%2Ff4GXAMjdhW4mmcOwjXoy5QJzqO67yWPXAAPCCSFzIlZXfix3Nb9RKj8hX%2BxfYXCRuYlrYTiKMxbBcOm1Qj%2Fk7GXxc1VarzjwIbSspKl%2F7KcfY9DPoIcmBgGS6C3NHFq9Kz%2BW2OjejS8txxdLRHdh65a%2Fn0kfCY%2Fr%2FsxSR6Pzzs3UvOt%2Be7Ns7deCGT1tCYf%2B3oVRgrLOv0eGNCXEESSAMtkimdu%2BaB5ULeiEH%2BGjbaV6AWwngNyIe8X1W1ddbechd9RWluc6k%2FG%2FjgHmi9JSFFo2Ecfbb%2BRva44Kxj3fKZ%2BNIq0hIbcboNzkaTk0gwcj6J4Ewj5qt0QY6pAEZkqonI7z6atHfHF1Hd21atGFc5FIbLfpZWzwnCOAxSMuk%2FFwvm26tW6T0Ai7JQZZeIU68v3sgbFvlwxtovdxENeMmgVkL4%2Fj0QkMFR9DHjUPnwWrLDwXbdxfHT%2BSb9D7okC2jV605ZZg430kyKAmkv9bVoe8bbvgtk9Iu3YldN0H9PsqqhAOFWuUNe4q8SpOMnnd1UxxskNOy8S10L0eF2KcfQw%3D%3D&X-Amz-Signature=a74b05d7228dacf5b6bd03b8a4349fc63191b2dd7606cbee0aa247c128b8a778)
Fish in parchment is one of my favorite ways to make a quick dinner that's equally great on a weeknight as it is a dinner party where you want to impress your friends with very little effort. This version gets a spring twist, as the fish cooks alongside diced asparagus, snap peas, and diced leeks inside the parchment. The whole thing can be on the table in 30 minutes or less - if you have the butter already made, 15 minutes!!
If you don't love asparagus or snap peas, you could sub your other favorite in season vegetables - green beans, shelled English peas, or thinly sliced fennel would all work.
The compound herb butter you'll make here will be more than you need for this dish, but I use it in a lot of my other recipes, and it keeps in the freezer for 2+ months - so make it all and then have it to use whenever you want to jazz up some simple vegetables or proteins. I find it easiest to dump everything for the butter into a food processor, but you can just as easily do it by hand - you'll want to mince everything small and make sure your butter is really at room temperature and very soft before mixing it together.
This recipe serves 4, but scales really well if you're making it for a bigger crowd (or if you're scaling it down for 1 or 2 people)!
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Make sure your butter is out of the fridge and at room temperature.
Make your herb compound butter. Make sure your 2 sticks unsalted butter are at room temperature. If they aren't microwave them at 3 second intervals, rotating them after each 3 seconds, until soft to the touch (but not melted). Add the softened butter to the bowl of your food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Roughly chop your chives, remove the stems from your Italian flat leaf parsley and basil, and dice your shallot. Add them all to your food processor with your butter, along with the zest of 2 lemons, 1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes, and the 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Turn on the food processor and pulse until everything comes together and the minced herbs get incorporated into the butter, turning it bright green. If your butter isn't soft enough and it forms a big clump before everything is evenly distributed, wait a few minutes and then come back and pulse it again to combine. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, wrapping the plastic around it. You can also store it in a deli container or ice cube trays.
Prepare 4 large pieces of parchment paper (each should be the size of a standard sheet pan).
In the middle of each piece of parchment, place 1/4 bunch of the asparagus, 1/4 of the snap peas, and 1/4 of the diced leek (or other onion). Season each mound of vegetables with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, several grinds of black pepper, and drizzle each with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
Place 1 salmon filet on top of each pile of seasoned vegetables. Season the top of each piece of fish with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Place ~2 tablespoons of the herb butter on top of each salmon filet, spreading the butter on top of it slightly to cover as much of it as possible.
Fold the parchment paper back in half over the fish and vegetables. Starting at the left corner, fold and twist the parchment together working your way around the fish. You want the folds to be tight as you go around so the steam gets trapped in the packet and cooks the fish. It should look like a semi circle when you're done. Repeat with the other packet, and place them both on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the packets at 425 F for 12-14 minutes (12 minutes if your salmon is on the thinner side, closer to 14 minutes if it's 1.5 inches thick or thicker). If you have a cut of salmon or other fish that is really thick, it could take up to 20 minutes. If you test the fish and it's still too raw to your liking, just put it back in the oven for a few more minutes and test again. Use this time to clean up your kitchen and set the table.
After 12-14 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Serve each packet on a dinner plate, and let everyone cut into the packet to release the steam (careful when doing this, it gets hot!) Enjoy!