Salmon in Parchment Paper, baked with orange, honey, jalapeno and New Mexico Red Chile Powder. If you've never baked salmon in parchment paper, you're about to feel wildly accomplished with very little effort. This is one of those "looks fancy, secretly easy" dinners I learned in culinary school and still lean on years later.
Orange zest. Sticky honey. Fresh jalapeño. A warm dusting of New Mexico red chile powder makes this a Southwestern experience. Wrapped up tight. Quick to bake. Opened at the table like a gift.
What Is Salmon en Papillote?
"En papillote" just means baked in paper. That's it. Nothing mysterious.
You put the salmon and seasonings on parchment, fold it into a sealed packet, and bake it. Inside that little pouch, steam builds and the fish cooks gently in its own juices. No drying out. No babysitting a skillet or oven.
Back in culinary school, this was one of the first "restaurant tricks" that made me feel like I knew what I was doing. You cut open the paper and this cloud of citrus-chile steam rises up. It feels dramatic. It feels cheffy. And it feels very “date-night”.
But honestly? It's just smart cooking.
- This method of cooking salmon is easy, it’s impressive, delicious, healthy and some what of an entertaining coup.
- Its a perfect “date night” meal. It truly is an easy way to entertain.
- The accolades. Who can resist a barrage of compliments from guests when you serve a meal. It’s extremely gratifying.
- Parchment meals are visually irresistible, filled with healthy and colorful ingredients. And when opened the aromas escaping the packet are intoxicating. What’s not to love.
- Cooking salmon in parchment paper works like a charm to infuse flavors.
- With just a little prep, dinner is still ready in about twenty minutes.
Parchment paper and I have become very good friends since we became well acquainted in Culinary School and I can safely say I’ve become a bit obsessed with this cooking method.
Why cook salmon in parchment paper? Parchment fish recipes are so versatile. Any herbs, any spices, any vegetables that you love, you can go crazy with options.
Why This Version Tastes Like the Southwest
I live and cook in Colorado. Southwest flavors are second nature to me. I reach for red chile powder the way some people grab black pepper. This combo of ingredients and the end flavor experience just works. Let’s take a look.
- Honey: A little drizzle goes a long way. It softens the heat and gives you that faint caramel note on the edges. Sweet and spicy is a love story I'll never get tired of.
- White Wine: We add just a splash of white wine to each parchment paper packet to accent the flavor and aroma. Wine adds acidity and sweetness and like salt, alcohol brings out the flavor in food. The alcohol will evaporate while cooking leaving only flavor.
- Orange: Not lemon. Orange. Softer and slightly sweet and sunny. The zest perfumes the fish and the slices melt into the juices. It's bright without being sharp.
- Jalapeno Pepper: Fresh and crisp heat. I slice it thin so you get warmth, not punishment. And if you want punishment keep the seeds and veins intact.
- New Mexico Red Chile Powder: Earthy and smoky. Southwestern warm heat that’s not aggressive.
- Thyme: Thyme is simply a good partner for orange and salmon.
Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps
- Orange: An easy swap for an orange is fresh limes.
- Honey: I always have a bottle of Agave Syrup in my pantry. If I’m out of honey, it’s a good substitute.
- White Wine: If you don’t have any white wine, apple juice, cider vinegar or ginger ale can be substituted. Red wine would add too strong of a flavor and color to the dish. Personally, if I didn’t have white wine, I would just omit this ingredient.
- Olive Oil: Substitute a pat of butter for the olive oil.
- Jalapeno Pepper: A fresh Anaheim or New Mexico Chile pepper, like a Hatch Pepper would be a good option here.
- Chile Powder: I always have a stash of New Mexico Red Chile Powder in my pantry. And Chimayo is my preferred variety. Substitute Ancho Chile Powder, or even Chipotle Chile Powder. Keep in mind, Chipotle is ground smoked red jalapeno peppers and will had a strong smoky flavor.
- Thyme: Substitute ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or a sprig of fresh rosemary.
How To Make Southwestern Salmon in Parchment
- Step 1: How to wrap salmon in parchment paper? It’s easy. Take a sheet of 24″ x 16″ parchment paper and tear it in half. This will make two parchment meals, finished size of each sheet will be 16″ x 12." Fold the paper in half so you have a guide to where the center of the paper is. Place each salmon fillet near the center fold of the parchment paper.
- Step 2: Sprinkle the salmon with chile powder and a pinch of orange zest.
- Step 3: Add slices of jalapeno pepper on top of the seasoned salmon and drizzle with honey.
- Step 4: Place two thin half slices of oranges on top. Add a couple springs of thyme and a squeeze of orange juice.
How To Make A Parchment Paper Packet
- Step 5: You’re ready to seal the parchment paper around the salmon. Start by folding the paper over the salmon to evenly meet the other end of the paper.
- Step 6: Starting at the closed end of the parchment paper, nearest the center where the salmon has been placed, make a small fold inward.
- Step 7: Using your fingers, start rolling the paper inward and over itself, firmly pressing and crimping as you go. Just a couple of rolls inward will make a nice seal.
- Step 8: Continue crimping and folding the parchment paper along the open end of the parchment meal, pressing as you go.
- Step 10: Once you’ve reached the end of the semi-circle, give the last crimp at the fold a good press to make sure it has sealed well. I then go back around and the edges and press here and there just for good measure.
- Step 11: Your honey orange salmon is ready to bake. Place each salmon in parchment on a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
How Do I Know When Salmon Is Done?
A 400 degree oven at 10 – 15 minutes is a pretty reliable ratio for a cooked salmon fillet. However, if you want to make sure, pull the tray out of the oven and use a fork to press down on the outside of the parchment paper on the salmon. If it flakes easily, it’s done.
Which Salmon To Pick
- Choose thicker fillets that are cut from the center of the fish. The ends are much thinner and will require less cooking time. The thicker fillets will stay juicier.
- Wild salmon is always a better choice, but farmed will work just fine. I like to choose farmed from Whole Foods. They routinely have fillets packaged in containers of two, and each are similar sized, meaning they’ll both cook evenly and at the same time frame.
How To Remove The Skin From Salmon
Don’t try to cut the skin off before cooking salmon in parchment. It’s a very tedious hard job. Once the salmon is cooked, the skin practically falls off without any elbow grease from you. Just eat the salmon with a fork and the meat will easily release from the skin.
Tips For Success:
- Soggy Packets: Don’t add too much white wine to each salmon packet, as it could make the parchment paper soggy.
- Don’t overcook. I’ve overcooked a few salmon fillets in my lifetime. Watch the time and pull it a minute or two early. It will continue to cook inside the packet for a couple of minutes. If you see a lot of albumin, which is the white protein that seeps out of the fish, you’ve started to over cook the fillet.
- Too Spicy?If you want to reduce the heat, remove the veins and seeds from the center of the jalapeno slices. Those are what carry the hot heat, not the meat of the pepper.
- Steam: When you open the packet, be careful. Steam rushes out, and the aromas are wonderful.
FAQ’s
The oven is my preferred way to bake salmon and 400 degrees is the temperature I find best. It cooks the meat quick enough that the outer flesh will seal in the juices and keep the meat tender and flaky.
Yes. This is the beauty of why this is such a great method for entertaining. The parchment paper pouches can be prepared a few hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator until time to cook. That makes it easy on you as the host and clean up is a breeze. Just be careful not to add too much liquid or the parchment paper will become soggy. Just a scant of a splash.
When purchasing parchment paper, I suggest buying sheets opposed to rolls. The rolled paper is hard to manage, due to curling. The parchment sheets I’ve used for this recipe were purchased at a restaurant supply store. I've purchased Kroger brand sheets that are 10 ¾ x 15 inches. This size works very well for this meal.
No. Foil creates an entirely different type of heat, a dry heat. It won’t steam the food and it won’t blend flavors as well. Stick with parchment paper and save the foil for the grill or campsite.
Parchment paper is a silicone coated paper that is safe to use up to 450 degrees. And with an open flame, the answer is no. That is, unless you want to babysit it over indirect flame. I say stick with the oven for this method of cooking.
What to Serve with Salmon in Parchment
We love this meal with Garlic Butter Baked Potatoes. But if you want to keep the theme healthier, try:
- Marbled Potatoes,
- Glazed Carrots with Honey and Lime, or this
- Green Vegetable Medley is a great choice.
- And as always a simple tossed salad is enough to make a healthy meal. Take a look at my recipe Red Wine Vinegar Dressing. Light, bright and would work well with this recipe.
Recipe for Salmon Cooked in Parchment Paper
With such pure fresh flavor of good quality salmon, I wanted to keep the flavor on the fresh side. This honey orange salmon is intriguing with flavor.
I hope you give this salmon en papillote a try.
Explore More Salmon Recipes
And don’t miss my seafood category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular seafood recipe on my site for Heavenly Halibut.
Craving More Seafood? Try These.
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Honey Orange Southwest Salmon in Parchment (salmon en papillote)
Ingredients
- ½ pound Salmon Filet Divided into two pieces
- 1 navel orange washed, zested, and thin sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper stem and seeds removed, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lay out two sheet of parchment paper cut large enough to house the salmon and with room to be able to crimp enges and enclose.
- Place each piece of salmon in the center a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with chile powder, salt and pepper and a pinch or two of orange zest.
- Add about three slices of jalapeno peppers on the salmon fillets. Then add two half slices of orange.
- Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme then drizzle with olive oil. Add a splash of white wine.
- Fold the paper over the salmon and begin the crimping technique to seal well. Starting at the closed end of the parchment paper, nearest the center where the salmon has been placed, make a small fold inward. Using your fingers, start rolling the paper inward and over itself, firmly pressing and crimping as you go. Just a couple of rolls inward will make a nice seal.
- Bake salmon for 10-15 minutes or until the parchment paper has puffed up high.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Soggy Packets: Don’t add too much white wine to each salmon packet, as it could make the parchment paper soggy.
- Don’t overcook. I’ve overcooked a few salmon fillets in my lifetime. Watch the time and pull it a minute or two early. It will continue to cook inside the packet for a couple of minutes. If you see a lot of albumin, which is the white protein that seeps out of the fish, you’ve started to over cook the fillet.
- Too Spicy?If you want to reduce the heat, remove the veins and seeds from the center of the jalapeno slices. Those are what carry the hot heat, not the meat of the pepper.
- Steam: When you open the packet, be careful. Steam rushes out, and the aromas are wonderful.
Nutrition
Southwest Honey Orange Salmon In Parchment Paper … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Salmon — love the stuff, particularly wild Alaskan. We almost always buy it frozen — just seems “fresher.” Such a nice recipe — thanks.
Mmmmm. I love the orange and chile pepper spice in this, along with the salmon! I don’t know why, but I never go to parchment or even foil. I’ve got to remember to do this. Thanks!
Totally comfort food. Yum!
Thank Kim!
Even though this sounded very flavorful, we found it a bit bland – even with the jalapeños, wine, and chili powder. We’re planning on making it again, but with the oranges on top, and maybe kicking up the spices some.
Thanks so much for letting me know Stan. Please let me know if your ideas work better. Now I want to make it again using those oranges on top. It seems when I do lemon on the bottom the lemon flavor really comes through. The milder flavor of orange is tougher.
Hmmm … we never tried lemons on the bottom, always on the top. And then we squeeze fresh lemon juice on top after serving. Maybe we should have squeezed fresh orange juice on top! Like you said, the milder taste of orange is tougher.
Love your combination of flavors for the salmon…it sounds great.
Wow! Lea Ann, the salmon looks amazing and perfectly cooked. I will definitely try this recipe, looks like a dinner changer;)
Love cooking in parchment paper! And it might be the best way to cook fish — it always comes out perfectly. This looks great — thanks.
I could eat salmon for dinner night after night. This looks like a terrific recipe!!!
The salmon looks delicious as do the pouch potatoes.
Im not a salmon gal but that looks delicious!