Jon hates fish. Really hates it. All of it. This is clearly irrational, and it started, as many such things do, in his childhood. His mother made him fish pie. It may have had a bone in it. Jon refused to finish it. His mother told him to sit there until he did. He sat. It went cold. She warmed it up. He sat. It went cold. She warmed it up again. The smell of congealing fish permeated the kitchen. He sat. It went cold. He sat. “You little bugger†said his mother. It’s the only time in his life that Jon can remember her swearing.
So this is what I make when I’m home alone.
Ingredients (per parcel)
1 salmon portion
1/2 red onion or a shallot
A handful of cherry tomatoes
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tsp butter
Salt and pepper
- Pre heat the oven to 350
- Lay out a rectangle of foil about the size of a sheet of printer paper
- Chop up the red onion into very thin half moons or dice the shallot. Place in the middle of the foil
- Place the salmon on top, season well and dot with butter
- Pull the edges of the foil up and over as though you’re going to make the parcel. Now tip in the cherry tomatoes (so they won’t roll away) and pour over the white wine
- Press and scrunch the edges together to seal the foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes for rare fish (a little longer if your salmon is especially thick), 17 minutes for medium and 20 for well done.
Do you want to make it fancier?
- Add a handful of kalamata olives to the parcel for a going-in-the-direction-of Greek touch. Sprinkle over chopped parsley at the end
- Add a handful of green beans and some kalamata olives to the parcel for an unorthodox take on niscoise
- Lay a few stalks of thyme on top of the salmon before cooking
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with a hunk of warmed ciabatta
- Or a bowl of boiled new potatoes
- And a glass of the wine you used in the sauce