Fish en Papillote

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take 4 to 6 large sheets of parchment paper (1 sheet per fish fillet) and fold each in half vertically like a book. Cut out a wide heart shape from the folded parchment paper. To do this, place your scissors near the bottom corner of the paper where the closed/folded side of the parchment paper is. Then move your scissors in the direction of the open end of the parchment paper so that you're cutting the heart shape. When you unfold the parchment paper sheet, you should get a really wide, cut-out heart shape.

Step 2

Create your butter compound by mixing the butter, garlic, and chives together. Add the zest of 1/2 a small lemon or 1/4 a large lemon. Mix that into the butter.

Step 3

Place a salmon fillet on one side of each heart-shaped parchment paper. Season the salmon with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of the butter compound onto each piece of salmon. Then add a little bit of lemon zest over piece of fish too. Place a couple of thin lemon slices either underneath or on top of the fish too.

Step 4

Brush the egg white on the entire border of each sheet of parchment paper, working with each serving one at a time as the egg white dries quickly. Before the egg white dries, fold the empty flap of paper over the fish and press down on the edges to seal the fish into the parchment paper pocket. Scrunch and fold the edges of the parchment paper in to keep the fish sealed in.

Step 5

Place each serving onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how thick and large your fish is. For example, a 4 oz thin piece of salmon is usually perfect at 10 minutes. Serve fish in its paper so that guests can rip into the paper themselves. This helps maintain moisture and aroma.