Salmon baked in a bag for the win! It’s 2017 and I feel like this recipe is a bit of a 90’s throw back or something. But done in a modern way with the healthy grains and shredded veg right? I think… Anyway this is super easy and you can use any grains you like. I love the nutty combo of barley and quinoa with the vegetables and omega 3 rich salmon.

I love steamed fish and I love salmon. I feel like cooking en papillote (in a bag or something yes?) like this allows it to soak up the fragrance and flavour of the aromatics you throw in with it. Salmon is an oily fish so it doesn’t need a lot of other moisture in the bag to come out al soft and succulent. Plus this is a delightfully healthy way to eat!

The herby yoghurt sauce has a little tang and sharpness with it which is great with an oily fish like salmon and the freshness of the salad with raw sweet potato (yes raw!) adds such great crunch and texture.

So stick to those resolutions this week and eat something you can feel really good about, healthy real food cooke simply!

serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

4 x 100-150g salmon fillets

2 lemons

2 spring onions

1 medium large sweet potato (or 2 small)

2 zucchini

1.5 cups cooked barley

1.5 cups cooked quinoa

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup yoghurt

1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Trim the tops of both spring onions so you are just left with the bottom 10cm, reserve the tops for later. Finely slice the spring onions lengthways into quarters. Cut 1 lemon into 8 thin slices. Prepare 4 pieces of baking paper to wrap salmon in, you can do this either in rectangles or in a heart shape.

If using a heart shape do the following on 1 side of the heart, if using a rectangle do in the centre. Place 2 slices of lemon and 2 strips of spring onion in the bottom of each package. Place a salmon fillet on top of this. Drizzle in a very sma;l amount of olive oil and season. Close the baking paper by folding the other side of the heart over and crimping like a dumpling. If using a rectangle fold in the ends bring the sides together and fold down in little folds (sort of like your rolling it but with firm folds) towards the salmon. Either way should give you and air tight package. Place the packages in your preheated oven and bake for 8-12minutes depending on salmon fillet size and how well done you like your salmon. Check one first, then if you’re happy you can remove all of them.

Meanwhile, peel and grate the sweet potato. Grate the zucchini. Finely chop the spring onion ends you reserved earlier. Combine with cooked quinoa, and the barley. Zest the remaining lemon and cut in half length ways. Add 1/2 zest and the juice of half the lemon along with the olive oil to the grains and toss to combine and dress the salad.

Make sauce by combining the yoghurt, remaining lemon zest, parsley and juice of the other half of the lemon. Stir well. Season.

Serve at the table, so everyone gets to open their fish parcels just before eating.

HH. x