First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

filed in Foodstuff

Foolproof Way to Cook Fish (Thanks, Julia!)

June 24, 2010 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

I’m not good at cooking fish, so I never attempt it for dinner parties. It’s hard to get the timing right. One extra minute and your main course is overdone. When non-meat eaters came to the house recently, I decided to give it a try, but only because Julia Child was in the house. This salmon recipe (from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home) is perfect if you’re dining alone, or easy enough when you’re entertaining a crowd.

Image: Woman Who Loves Fish, 2003, Maggie Taylor

Julia’s Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Shallots and Tomato
from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

Yield: 1 fillet, serving 1

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, soft
1 skinless salmon fillet, 6 to 8 ounces
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon very finely minced shallots (or scallions)
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato garnish*
Whole leaves of flat-leaf parsley, about a dozen

Tomato garnish
Ripe red tomatoes peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch dice, and placed in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding drops of vinegar and olive oil; toss with a little finely minced parsley or shallot. Let macerate for 10 minutes or longer, folding several times. Just before using, correct seasoning and drain.

Special equipment: A sheet of parchment paper, about 20 inches by 15 inches; a cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
1. Smear the butter in the center of the parchment paper.

2. Season each side of the salmon with a big pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper,
and lay the salmon, its most attractive side up, on the buttered area of the paper.

3. Mix the minced shallots and tomato together and spread on top of the salmon fillet.
Scatter the parsley leaves over and around the fish.

4. Lift the shorter (15-inch) sides of the parchment so the edges meet right above the salmon,
like a tent. Fold over several times, then fold the sides together. Crimp the folds tightly with your fingers,
or use several pins* at the end to seal the package completely.

5. Set the package on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes for a fillet less than an inch thick,
or 10 minutes for a thick fillet 1 to 1-1/4 inches thick.

To serve, carefully transfer the package to a dinner plate, remove the pins if you have used them,
and unfold or cut the parchment open. If you’d rather remove the package before eating,
cut or tear the paper alongside the fillet, and slide the fish right onto the plate.

* I didn’t have safety pins, and tried paper clips. Worked like a charm.

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