LEMON BUTTER SALMON IN PARCHMENT PAPER is our favorite way to cook a healthy and delicious seafood meal at home! Asparagus and onion topped with succulent salmon, lemons, and thyme, and drizzled in lemon butter. This salmon in parchment is SO EASY and amazingly good!
Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe
Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment Paper is an easy, healthy, and delicious dinner recipe that I can really get behind. No mess, no fuss, just good food!
It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a dinner recipe. Usually its the cheesy dips and game day appetizers that are my favorites, but this LEMON BUTTER SALMON IN PARCHMENT PAPER is so incredibly easy, delicious, PRETTY, and healthy that it has instantly climbed the ranks as one of my favorite recipes on the blog.
The simple flavors and prep make it such a great dinner option for any dinner party, quiet night at home, or any meal in between.
Pat is always asking me to do more seafood, and he was SO excited about this salmon recipe. I made it just in time for Valentine’s Day and won tons of wife points.
He doesn’t need to know just how easy it was. It’s a matter of throwing everything in the parchment, sealing, and baking for 15 minutes. The steam does the rest. It’s truly that easy to make a 5 star meal in your own kitchen!
Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment Paper (Salmon en Papillote) is an easy and delicious dinner that will impress everyone at the table!
Salmon in Parchment Paper
I’m THRILLED to be an 2017 Reynolds Ambassador. Is there any better company on the planet! They’re products are my very favorite when baking (remember these Loaded Salted Caramel Soft Batch Cookies?!) I have used Reynolds® Parchment Paper before so many times.
It’s the perfect tool for mess-free cooking. You can roll out dough on it, use it for decorating a homemade gift, ice cookies on it for simple clean up, and even wrap seafood and veggies in it for easy cooking!
It saves your counters and your time! You can transfer the meal directly from the baking sheet to the counter, and vice versa, with no mess. No non-stick spray required…it’s already non-stick and grease-proof on its own! Win, win.
This Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment Paper would be a sticky mess without Reynolds. As it was, it was the simplest clean up we have had in a long time. I’m hooked!
How to Make Lemon Butter Sauce for Salmon
I love everything about this salmon recipe. While the salmon in parchment method is the focus of this recipe, it’s the lemon butter sauce that brings all the flavor.
I mean, it wouldn’t be Lemon Butter Salmon without it! It’s a really easy sauce to make, and it bakes into the fish so well. It’s absolutely delectable!
Lemon Butter Sauce for Salmon:
- White Wine
- Shallot or Sweet Yellow Onion
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Lemon Juice
See the recipe card below for details on how to make this lemon butter sauce!
Find more easy salmon recipes right here!
What is salmon en papillote?
Salmon en papillote is just the French way of saying salmon in parchment. It’s the same method of cooking salmon wrapped in parchment paper that we’re doing here. But it does sound much fancier to say it in French.
How long does it take to cook salmon in parchment paper?
It depends on the fish, the recipe, the oven temperature, and your preference for doneness. For this recipe, I recommend baking the salmon for about 15 minutes at 375°F.
I hope you love this Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment as much as we did. The bright flavors, simple prep, and ZERO cleanup make it an absolute dream. Thank you Reynolds for making this meal so so so darn easy!
If you like this recipe, try these other easy salmon recipes too:
- Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
- Herb Crusted Salmon
- Garlic Butter Salmon Recipe
- Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Crusted Salmon
- Parmesan White Wine Dijon Salmon
- Grilled Salmon Foil Packets
- Caprese Stuffed Salmon
- Baked Salmon with Pesto
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment
Ingredients
FOR THE SALMON:
- 6 stalks asparagus trimmed
- 4-6 slices red onion thinly sliced
- 2 6 oz. salmon fillets
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 6 lemon slices very thinly cut
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons white wine use a good drinking wine NOT cooking wine
- kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
FOR THE LEMON BUTTER SAUCE:
- ½ cup white wine; chardonnay or semi-dry
- 1 shallot or 1 tablespoon sweet yellow onion minced
- 1 cup butter unsalted cut into 12 pieces
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 lemon juice & zest
Instructions
FOR THE LEMON BUTTER SAUCE:
- In a small saucepan, combine the wine and the minced onion. Bring to a boil and reduce the temperature to medium heat until liquid reduces to 2 tablespoons.
- Reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter, two pieces at a time, until butter is fully incorporated.
- Whisk in cream, lemon juice and zest.
- If serving immediately, keep warm in a bowl set over hot water. If serving at a later date (within 3 days), pour the butter in a covered dish and keep in the fridge. When ready to use, warm gently, in the microwave, and whisk before serving.
FOR THE SALMON:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Fold 2 (16 by-12-inch) parchment paper rectangles in half lengthwise.
- Place 3 stalks of asparagus then 2 onion slices, in the middle, and near the fold of each parchment paper.
- Drizzle vegetables lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place salmon fillets on the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
- Lay lemon slices and fresh thyme on the salmon.
- Drizzle each salmon with 1 teaspoon white wine.
- Sprinkle each salmon with 2-teaspoons brown sugar.
- Fold the parchment paper over the salmon and vegetables, at the fold. Starting at one corner, crimp the edges to seal the parchment packet. Be sure to fold and seal the edges tightly so no steam escapes.
- Brush the tops of the salmon packets with olive oil.
- Set the salmon packets on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Bake at 375 degrees F, on the center rack, in the oven for 15-16 minutes, depending on personal preference.
- DO NOT OPEN.
- Remove salmon from the oven and, carefully, cut open the top of the packet and serve the salmon in the paper. If desired, remove the skin before serving.
- Warm the lemon butter and drizzle it over the salmon.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Have a large piece of salmon in freezer. Can’t wait to try this. This weekend. Thanks. I have a great recipe but this is even easier.
Enjoy!!
Very tasty and I’m not a big salmon fan
So glad to hear your love it, Linda!
nice recipes also please share fries receip i loved it.
thanks for the share recipes. delicious food.
Good one
are you serious? this has over 2500 calories???? 187 grams of fat? it does look delicious but honestly I would never make this.
No, I’m having trouble with my nutritional data. Most likely that’s calculating for the entire recipe not for serving size. I’m adding a new recipe card slowly but the process is one at a time and I have over 1000 posts so I haven’t reached this one yet. Sorry for the trouble! It most definitely does not have that many calories or fat.
Can this be assembled and refrigerated a few hours ahead of time? Any downside to doing that?
Since I can’t use alcohol, can anything else be substituted for wine?
Nice reciepe as I have tried it. Will surely recommend
Exquisite! So easy, beautiful presentation and so delicious. Where do I find the dishes you served in? Bonus,..the house didn’t smell like I cooked fish! ;)
Thanks for a truly unique meal.