The shopping gods smiled on me this weekend. A perfect pinstripe Tahari suit for $69.99, a tropical wool Banana Republic basic black suit for 60% off, great dark-denim jeans for well under $100. The list goes on...
This all was before amazing fresh salmon in a healthy new recipe, paired with a value viognier that was delicious. All that combined is just perfection.
This recipe is inspired by hobo stew and the French en papillote technique. After trying it tonight, I now adore what it can do for a healthy, delicious and easy meal.
Happy shopping! (and cooking)
Grilled Salmon Pouches with Spinach, Leeks & Shallots:
(serves 2)
2 8 oz salmon fillets, de-boned, skin on
4 c fresh spinach, cleaned and drained and stems removed
1 large leek, cleaned and cut into thin half-moon slices
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1/4 c dry white wine (viognier works great)
1 tbs butter, cut into 2 pieces)
Salt and pepper
Aluminum foil, cut into 6 1 ft x 1 ft square pieces
Directions:
Spread out spinach on bottom of piece of foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few shallots and leeks. Rest salmon fillet over top (skin side down). Sprinkle additional leeks and shallots over top, salt and pepper.
Drizzle 2 tbs wine over packet, nestle butter into packet. Wrap tightly, layering 2-3 times. Repeat with second packet.
Heat a grill to medium. (Heat is important here). Grill for approx 25-30 minutes (depends on heat of grill). Serve immediately, sliding out of packets if desired.
18 comments:
Delicious, possibly the best way to serve salmon (or most fish) in my opinion!
I was so disappointed with my salmon + endive, Kirsten! This is waaaay much better! :)
I am SO INTO pouch cooking on the grill this summer.. I LOVE IT! I'll so try this - I haven't cooked fish yet so this is exciting. =)
Looks fabulous, love the flavors :D
xoxo
The April issue of Cooking Light has a whole section on cooking en papillote - I have all of the recipes bookmarked!! In fact, I was thinking of trying one of them tonight! I will have to add your recipe to the bunch.
Hahaha...that big fat butter seems no healthy any more! :P But who cares, at least not mine, especially for this "gotta add some butter" dish. Go Butter Go!
Ohh I love leeks and shallots and it seems they work perfectly with salmon.
And pouches are so fun and easy!
My wife is a salmon fiend, and this sounds like an inventive way to prepare it. I'll give this a try sometime soon.
We have gotten into doing pouches of parchment (en papillote) with a bed of veggies and a fish fillet on top. Delicious and so elegant looking!
You did luck out on all your purchases!
Congratulations on the fun shopping wins!
I love to cook fish in pouches. I do something quite similar to your salmon dish with halibut. Also, LOVE viognier! Which one did you have? I had a nice one this weekend that was a viognier/pinot blanc blend. Delicious!
Maureen
Hey Freya & Paul! I know, this is SUCH a great way to prepare fish. One of my new favorites. :)
Thanks Patricia - I think the leeks and shallots get sweeter and tastier with cooking. Did the endive get bitter?
Hi Lis! I am now a HUGE pouch cooking fan too. :)
Hey Deborah, I'll have to go back and re-read my April Cooking Light for more ideas - thanks!
Lululu - I swear it was just .5 tbs butter per person, the close up picture just looks BIG! :) I love butter too!!!
Thanks Robin!
Silverbear - hope you try it, let me know what your wife thinks!
Deborah D - I have done the parchment method in cooking class, but for some reason never at home. I do need to try it. The grilling is good because it gets the boyfriend involved. :)
Thanks Peabody and Maureen - great deals on great clothes that I actually need and want is SUCH a good feeling. I also paid cash, so no credit card guilt either. :)
Maureen - I read in Food and Wine (I think) about how Smoking Loon had a great value, very drinkable Viognier but I couldn't recall ever seeing in stores. That very afternoon I saw it at all places - Target!! It was a GREAT value (under $10) and was quite good with the salmon.
Kirsten, may I ask at which Target you found the Smoking Loon Viognier? I too, have heard that they made a great valu viognier, but whenever Safeway or World Market have the Smoking Loon wines featured, they don't seem to have the viognier. :( I'd love to give it a try.
hey anonymous...
I actually found 2 bottles of it at the Target on Southern and McClintock in Tempe.
I never shop at that one and I normally don't check the wine section, but there I was and there was the wine!!
Good luck searching - it was very good and a great value! :)
This not only sounds delicious, it sounds like it would lend itself to endless variations. A sprig of fresh tarragon over each fillet, for instance.
Gas grill or charcoal? Would the smoky charcoal taste somehow permeate the package? I'm guessing not.
Kirsten,
What a lovely way to fix salmon. That looks wonderful. I am so envious of your cooking skills. I am a better baker than anything else, but still, your stuff looks mighty tasty.
Hi Terry! The resident grilling expert (my boyfriend) says gas for more even cooking, although if wrapped tightly, charcoal could work. Gas is preferred.
You are SO right, once you master the method, there are endless possibilities for this recipe!
Thanks Seth! You are too kind! :)
I LOVE Salmon and have always been so intrigued by the whole "en papillote" method, so of course I HAD to try this recipe. It was delicious! Although I did use parchment rather than foil and I baked the pouch at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It was to die for! I'm going to try other "pouch" experiments and I'll report back about the successful ones. :)
Oh my god, there's so much effective information above!
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