Salmon in a Pouch

I received some gorgeous fresh-caught Coho Salmon from my friend Christina. Caught right here in Lake Michigan and filleted by the best fish monger, Lou. :) I've been wanting to try a pouch dinner for some time, so what a perfect opportunity.
Cooking in a pouch or packet allows food to retain it's moisture, as you are essentially steaming it in the oven. You can use aluminum foil, but I didn't want it to transfer too much heat in this dish. Wax paper would transfer wax to your food, so I used parchment paper for this application. I completely made up what would go in this dish, but that's the beauty of this method of cooking. Just about anything goes. I recommend watching Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on cooking in pouches. He gives a lot of good guidelines on what flavors work together.
I had bought some asparagus to go with our meal, so this is what I used for my base, but you can use any vegetables you like such as carrots, snow peas, zucchini, squash, etc. You could also use noodles or rice as a base, but must add enough liquid to efficiently cook them. I also decided to use mushrooms since they would absorb a lot of the flavors being released in the bag. For aromatics I used garlic and onion, and salt and pepper for seasonings. I also used lemon and orange slices to flavor the fish. I could have used one more herb for depth. Maybe corriander next time.

After gathering my ingredients, it was time to prepare the parchment paper. Tear off a large enough piece that could hold your dish when folded in half. Then fold it in half lengthwise and cut a large paper heart shape. (This will aid in your folding later).

After I had my parchment ready, I started building. I prepped the asparagus by breaking off the bottoms. I just snap them at their natural weak point and this will ensure none of the flossy tough stuff will get stuck in your teeth later. Some say this is a waste of asparagus. The bottoms don't really hold that much flavor, but you could always peel them to save the entire stalk. I layed down the asparagus on the bottom of the parchment (enough for one serving; I'm making single serving packs, but you can also do a whole side/fish, but the method varies slightly). I placed pats of butter on top of that, topped with mushrooms, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

After that, I layed my salmon fillet on top. (Mine were 6-8 oz fillets). I liberally seasoned with salt and pepper, then added the garlic and the onions. A few slices of citrus on top of everything, and my pouch was ready to close.

To close the pouch, fold the other edge over the food, and begin at the center of the heart. Fold over the parchment and crease. Then start halfway through that crease and make your next fold. Continue folding around the heart shaped edge, always going halfway up the previous crease to ensure sealing. If you have problems getting your edges to cooperate, you can always use a stapler to help. When you get to the bottom, just fold it up to seal. (I stapled).

Place your pouch(es) on baking sheet and bake in a 425º Oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove and open a corner of your biggest fillet to check for doneness. My 6-8 oz. fillets needed about 20 minutes total. The wonders of this process? The juices stay locked in, so no fear of dry flaky fish.

Viola! Quick easy dinner, in easy-t0-customize single servings. As you can see, mine turned out really juicy. I think my citrus was sliced a bit too thick. Next time I'm doing only a few thin slices of lemon and more seasoning.

The next pouch dinner I'll make will be with ramen and shrimp. Can't wait!
Do you make pouch dinners? What would you put in yours?