Food and Recipes Recipes Smoky-Sweet Baked Salmon in Parchment Steam up dinner in parchment packets for a quick and light way to enjoy a fresh catch. By John Somerall John Somerall John Somerall is a highly trained professional chef with over a decade of cooking and recipe writing experience. John has a passion for all things related to food. He has a profound understanding of what makes food taste great and look amazing, while also being able to translate difficult recipes into manageable feats for the home cook. Although John is no longer testing and writing recipes for Dotdash Meredith brands, he is still an active private chef and freelance recipe tester and developer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 18, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 15 mins Roast Time: 10 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Dinner, unwrapped. We always love a quick seafood supper, but our new favorite way to get dinner on the table in a snap is to steam fish in parchment, a technique stemming from the French cooking technique called en papillote. Our Smoky-Sweet Baked Salmon in Parchment packages quite a few bold flavors inside a perfect parchment parcel. Not only is this dish spectacularly easy to prepare—it only requires a sheet pan—but it's also a great healthy choice. Since the salmon steams in the oven, the fish does not require as much oil or fat to cook as it might if you were searing it on the stovetop. That doesn't mean we compromise on flavor, though. A sweet, smoky, and fragrant mustard sauce compliments the fish in this easy baked salmon recipe. The orange slices mellow out the intense flavor of the mustard—topping the salmon with orange slices also helps to keep the mustard mixture intact. The green beans are cooked to an ideal tender-crisp and the shallots are perfectly soft. Serve it to your favorite fan of salmon, or convert the salmon-skeptical with this tasty recipe. Ingredients 12 ounces trimmed haricots verts (French green beans) 2 (2-oz. each) shallots, sliced ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided 4 (6-oz.) skin-on or skinless salmon fillets ¼ cup stone-ground mustard 1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 4 thyme sprigs 1 orange, sliced Directions Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower third positions. Toss together haricots verts (French green beans), shallots, pepper, 2 teaspoons of the oil, and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt in a large bowl. Lay 4 (18-inch-long x 15-inch-wide) sheets of parchment paper flat on a work surface. Fold each parchment sheet in half crosswise; make a crease down the center, and open back up. Divide prepared vegetables, and place evenly on half of each sheet. Place salmon fillets over vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir together stone-ground mustard, dark brown sugar, and smoked paprika; spread evenly over fillets. Top fillets with thyme sprigs and orange slices. Fold parchment over fish, making small overlapping folds along edges until fully sealed. Place 2 packets on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast in preheated oven until parchment puffs, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer each packet to a plate, and carefully cut packets open, avoiding any escaping steam. Discard orange slices and thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve over hot cooked rice. Print