Foil baked salmon and asparagus is super quick to prepare and tastes delicious. Asparagus really does taste best when cooked simply as this dish illustrates.
Wrapping the fish and asparagus in foil keeps all the flavour in the little parcels. With a little additional flavour from the olive oil, lemon, thyme and seasoning you have a dish that is bursting with flavour.
And did I mention they are super quick so can be made and on the table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients and substitutions
This simple dish requires just 3 main ingredients:
Salmon fillets - Skin on or off is fine
Asparagus – Choose thin tender stems for the best results.
Lemon
Olive oil – I like to use a good extra virgin olive oil for this dish as it adds to the delicious juices.
Fresh thyme leaves – If you do not have any thyme you could add some chopped chives or parsley instead. Each will give its own, subtly different flavour to the dish.
Seasoning
Scroll down for quantities and full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
Method
This dish is so easy to make
Place each salmon fillet on a square of foil large enough to fold up and completely enclose the salmon.
Then prepare the asparagus.
Place the asparagus and lemon slices and place next to the salmon.
Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon and drizzle over the salmon along with the olive oil.
Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up to enclose the salmon and asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.
How to prepare asparagus
Thin asparagus spears need little preparation. Simply trim or break off the very bottom of the stem to remove the base which can be a little woody. The point to trim or break can be found by carefully bending the spears - there is a natural point on the stem where it will easily snap.
For thicker stems use a vegetable peeler, to remove the outer layer of the stem, from the base to about halfway up the spear.
British Asparagus
British asparagus is considered by many food lovers and chefs as the best in the world, because our unique climate is just perfect for growing tender flavoursome stems. The season is short for just a few weeks from May until the end of June although through the use of polytunnels there's now an autumn crop harvested in September and October in the Wye Valley.
You can find out more about British Asparagus here
If you want to make the most of local asparagus while it is in season you may like to try.......
- Courgette and Asparagus Tart
- Creamy pasta with asparagus and bacon
- Chicken and asparagus Ceasar salad
- Chicken and asparagus traybake
Servings
I have given a recipe that serves two but you can easily multiply the recipe to serve more.
The parcels make a light meal in themselves but a few boiled potatoes is all that is needed to transform it into a more substantial meal. Alternatively, a chunk of crusty bread would also be ideal for moping up the juices.
A class of dry white wine will go down a treat. Choose a full-bodied white such as an oaked chardonnay, viognier or white burgundy. Or consider serving with a glass of Rosé.
Foil Roasted Salmon and Asparagus
Equipment
- 2 sheets foil
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets
- 200 g asparagus
- 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan)/400°F/gas mark 6. Place each salmon fillet in the centre of a square of kitchen foil.
- Prepar 200g (7oz) asparagus. Bend the base of the stem until it breaks to remove the woody part of the stem and discard. Divide into two bundles and place next to the salmon.
- Thinly slice half a lemon and poke the slices between the asparagus and salmon.
- Squeeze the juice from the remaining half of the lemon and drizzle over the salmon along with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
- Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up to enclose the salmon and asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
colin pickford says
What is "a food stylist." 😉
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
A food stylist is someone who prepares and presents food for a photographer to photograph. It can be for editorial ie books and magazines or commercial photography such as packaging or advertising.
colin pickford says
Followed the recipe but added sliced cherry tomatoes a little sliced roasted pepper and a few slices of deseeded red chilli. Served on a bed of brown and wild rice with a little butter and soy sauce. T'was scrummy.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Really pleased you enjoyed this I find it a great way to cook fish and like the sound of your additions.
Dephinah Sirako says
I like your recipe and would like to try it. What can one use instead of the asparagus?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Green beans would work nicely instead of asparagus and I think courgettes cut into sticks or sliced would also work well. Do let me know if you try them and tell me what you think.