Salmon and tomatoes en papillote

I know it's been a while since I last blogged... this week has been very busy and very exciting. I got a job!!! I am now the assistant to the chair of the chemistry department at Florida State, and Andrew's building is right by mine, and everyone seems really nice, and I have a pretty office with a big window. It's been a bit of a shift to start waking up at 6:30 and run out the door, but it is so nice to have something to do besides obsessively clean the house and watch TLC. On the food side, I'm going to start experimenting with dinners that can do double-duty in my Snow White lunchbox the next day. Wish me luck!

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I actually made last week. It takes literally about half an hour to throw together, has next to no cleanup and is knock-your-socks-off delicious. It's easy enough for a quick meal at home, but yummy enough for a dinner party. I have dreams about this meal sometimes. Plus, it is just about as healthy as you can get. The proportions I'm sharing here are for four people; you could halve it for two, but I love having the leftovers. It has all the Provençal flavors I miss from last summer, and it's just so pretty! It's like a little garden wrapped up in foil.

The instructions look complicated, but once you've made it once you'll be able to improvise pretty easily. This recipe comes almost exactly from my French cookbook, Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I moved the basil on top of the salmon because I think you can taste it more that way; if your salmon is skinless, you can put the basil underneath. Both times I've made it, I haven't had cherry tomatoes, so I cut up two tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and divided them among the packets. You can use foil (easier to wrap up, but less pretty) or parchment paper, depending on who you're trying to impress.

Salmon and tomatoes en papillote

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cut four 12-inch squares of foil or parchment paper, depending on who you're trying to impress. Cut 28 ounces of salmon into four equal portions (7 or 8 ounces each).

If you want to sear the tomatoes to intensify their flavor, heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook 16 cherry tomatoes for a few minutes until their skins are wrinkled and bubbly.

In the center of each piece of foil, drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle it with some salt and white pepper, and top with a piece of salmon. Put the tomatoes on one side and about 5 basil leaves on the other. Grate zest from one lemon over everything. Chop 4 scallions (or 2 spring onions) and scatter them over the fish and tomatoes. Cut the lemon into 8 slices, putting two slices over each piece of fish. Top with a sprig of thyme or rosemary and another drizzle of olive oil.

Seal the packets, making sure they are airtight and that there's puff space between the fish and the top of its cocoon. Put the packets on the baking sheet, slide the setup into the oven, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

(The packets can be assembled up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated; remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. If the packets still feel cold when you're ready to slide them into the oven, add a minute to the baking time.)

Update:

My mom made this salmon for her and Daddy and sent me a picture! Look how beautiful! They ate it with a salad, green beans and Provencal rosé.