Lemon & Butter Salmon Foil Packs

Summer is so super busy for us this year. We have a lot going on. Even to the point where we barely have time to sit down for meal all together let alone even be home for dinner. I feel like nomads in our house. The garden is going well but honestly, hasn’t been as good as it could be (update soon!). We’ve been traveling and working on other projects that it’s been overtaken by some pests. Nothing too bad, we are still getting more than enough produce we want, just maybe not as visually pleasing. RIP CUCUMBERS.

Anyways, one of my favorite things to throw together on a busy summer night are these salmon foil packs. They take minutes to put together and require essentially no cooking skills or time. Just throw them in the oven or on the grill and –blam- done.

This summer I’m all about non-complex meals for my family that seems to be constantly on the go-go-go. I paired this with an arugula salad with a simple lemon dijon vinaigrette and rice pilaf. I think it was raining the day I did these so I did them in a hot oven, but on nicer days I will throw them on a hot grill with some veggies and fingerling potato foil packets. Easy to just throw everything on the grill and forget it for a few. No-fuss!

So a foil pack meal is essentially pretty straight forward right? WRONG. You see, I have extensively thought out how exactly to layer things. Salt, Pepper, Parsley, lemon wedges- THEN BUTTER (so the butter melts down into the lemon and physics takes over…lots of calculating in my brain….and gravity melts the butter down into the lemon and on the salmon. OK? IT’S LIKE- SCIENCE.

…oh and then more parsley for color and tomatoes on top. Double the parsley for aesthetic.

Look at this beautiful salmon bb about to get the tan of its life.

 

 

 

 

Once I throw those on the grill (or in the oven) I use that time to prep a simple salad. I literally live by this lemon-dijon vinaigrette over arugula. It just pairs so well with so many dishes, is simple, and adds a brightness to any meal. And I know I know, most of my most commonly requested recipes are the basic ones that I include as sidebars to the main meal. I’m sorry all this will be a sidebar as well. Do chicken stock, crockpot bread and dijon vinaigrette deserve their own dedicated post?  I tend to think not, but when I’m constantly calling back to it perhaps I should separate them out in the future. Should I do a simple recipe blog spam this fall? Shorty posts with my staples to call back on? If I get asked how I prepare shishito peppers by one more person…I might (another recipe that’s more of a non-recipe).

 

Lemon & Butter Salmon Foil packs

• 1lb Salmon filet- skin on, cut into two pieces
• 1 lemon, halved (slice one half into 6 thin medallions)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• A handful of chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp  Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided into 4 pieces.
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tin foil squares

Preheat oven (or grill) to 475 degrees. Place both squares of tinfoil down flat on the counter. Spread 1 Tbsp of olive oil on each, loosely. Then place your salmon filets one on each, skin side down. Season with salt + pepper, top with lemon slices, and 1 Tbsp of butter ( 2 slices). Sprinkle with parsley and cherry tomatoes. Fold up the sides of the foil to meet at the top and then wrap it down to make a pocket. Place on a cookie sheet (in case it’s not 100% tight in your oven or directly on the grill. Cook for about 15 minutes. To serve, just open the top of the packet carefully and take the salmon out with a long spatula. Grab a large spoon too to pick up any tomatoes that fall and extra juices! The skin usually falls off in the packet- we let that be a special treat for Portia 😉

 

Simple Lemon-Dijon Viagarette 

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Lemon juice (or about half a lemon)
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional at our house in a pinch)

Combine all your ingredients into a small jar and shake the hell out of it…or whisk it rapidly in a bowl. We opt out of the minced garlic since 9/10 we’re throwing this on an arugula salad with some grated cheese and tomatoes.