Herb butter salmon and asparagus parcels make a tasty and healthy meal featuring succulent salmon fillets seasoned with herbs and butter and topped with lemon slices. The dish is completed with a side of tender and delicious asparagus spears and wrapped in tinfoil before being baked in the oven.
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Salmon and asparagus parcels
Salmon and asparagus parcels are my go-to meal to serve when I’m pressed for time. From start to finish, they only take 30 minutes to make, including the preparation and baking. And because they are cooked in tinfoil parcels, cleaning up afterwards is a breeze.
These salmon and asparagus parcels are incredibly delicious, with the herbs and butter infusing the salmon with a mouthwatering flavour. The lemon juice not only adds a refreshing touch to the dish but also blends with the butter to give an extra zing to the asparagus.
And it’s such a simple recipe, with only a few ingredients, but sometimes less is more, and I think that’s the case with this recipe. Even hubby, who isn’t a lover of fish, tasted this recipe and asked me to make it again … soon … please!
All you will need are some fresh salmon fillets which you cover with lots of chopped parsley, dill and lemon slices. Then you add a knob of butter before wrapping it all in a layer of tinfoil along with some fresh asparagus spears and popping it in the oven for 20 minutes! Job done!
The salmon steams to fork-tender flakiness, which is perfectly complemented by the herbs and lemon, and the asparagus is tender and delicious. If you want to serve extra sides with the salmon, I’d suggest boiled baby potatoes and some freshly steamed vegetables, and you’ll have a meal fit for a king! Perhaps I should rename this dish Coronation Salmon in honour of our new monarch 🙂 .
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Here’s how you make it.
What you will need
Equipment
You don’t need much by way of equipment. All you will need is a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the herbs and lemon, and a baking tray to hold the tinfoil parcels.
Ingredients
This recipe will feed 2 people. You can easily scale it up to feed more people by adding an extra piece of salmon per person, and some additional herbs, butter and lemon.
**You can find the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this coronation salmon on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Salmon fillets – I used tail-end fillets, but you can also use the thicker fillets cut through the main body of the salmon.
Asparagus – supermarkets in the UK sell either asparagus tips or asparagus spears. If you buy the tips there’s no need to snap off the ends of the stalks. If you buy the spears, you should snap off the harder woody ends of the asparagus spears before adding them to the salmon parcels.
Lemon – lemon adds a delicious piquancy to the salmon. Half of the lemon is squeezed over the fish and the other half is sliced and placed on top of the fillets before they are wrapped in the tinfoil.
Parsley and dill – both parsley and dill are a great match for fish. The herbs are finely chopped and sprinkled over the fish before it is baked.
Butter – a small knob of butter inside each parcel adds a creamy nuttiness to the baked fish.
Salt and pepper – this is used for seasoning and should be sprinkled onto the fish to your own taste.
What to do
- Finely chop the parsley and dill.
- Cut the lemon in half. Cut one half into slices and reserve the other half to squeeze over the fish.
Place the salmon on a piece of tin foil. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper to taste and cover with the chopped parsley and dill. Squeeze on a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and add a slice or two of lemon and a knob of butter. Arrange the asparagus alongside the fish.
Bring the sides of the tinfoil up over the salmon and make a double fold on the top. Make another double fold on the sides of the parcel to enclose the fish completely. Place the parcels on a baking sheet and place the tray in a preheated oven (180C / 360F) for 20 minutes.
Open the parcels carefully – there will be hot steam inside – and transfer the salmon and asparagus to a plate.
Serve the salmon with boiled baby potatoes and freshly steamed vegetables. If you are feeling particularly hungry, add a fresh green salad on the side, and perhaps a helping of crusty bread.
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Herb butter salmon and asparagus parcels FAQ
If you bought fresh salmon that hasn’t been previously frozen, you can freeze the parcels before you bake them.
Pack the assembled parcels into a large plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Cook from frozen, but add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time.
I wouldn’t use dried herbs to make this dish. This is one of those recipes where fresh herbs are essential.
Yes, you can substitute asparagus with other vegetables. Try to use vegetables that will cook at the same time as the asparagus such as broccoli, brussels sprouts or butternut squash. If you want to use vegetables that take longer to cook (such as green beans or carrots for instance) then I would be inclined to boil them for a few minutes before adding them to the parcels.
Yes, you can assemble the salmon parcels the day before and leave them in the refrigerator. You will actually find that this will enhance the flavour as it will give the fish time to marinate in the herbs and lemon.
Yes, you can use any firm white fish, such as cod, haddock or hake. I’ve even made this dish successfully with Alaskan pollock.
Save for later
If you would like to make these salmon and asparagus parcels, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
If this recipe isn’t quite what you are looking for, why not take a look at some of my other easy fish recipes:
- Thai fish parcels (with cod and prawns) – luscious chunks of cod and plump juicy prawns encased with noodles and vegetables in a spicy Thai sauce.
- Cod mornay with prawns – oven-baked tender fillets of cod and plump juicy prawns covered in a deliciously thick and cheesy sauce.
- Pan-fried fish fillets with a light batter – delicious fillets of fish encased in my special light batter, shallow-fried until golden and crispy.
- Cheesy fish pie with a crispy topping – Succulent fillets of fish and seafood in a cheesy sauce, covered with creamy mashed potatoes and a special crispy topping.
- Fish Milanese with a buttery garlic and parsley sauce – made with juicy cod fillets, marinated in lemon and onions, coated in crispy breadcrumbs and covered in a buttery garlic and parsley sauce.
The recipe
Herb and butter salmon and asparagus parcels with lemon
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium (or large) salmon fillets depending on your appetite
- 1 bunch asparagus tips
- ½ ounce butter x 2 one for each fillet
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 small bunch dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 360℉
- Place each salmon fillet on a piece of tinfoil which is large enough to encase the fillets.2 medium (or large) salmon fillets
- Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper to taste.Salt and pepper to taste
- Chop the parsley and dill finely and sprinkle it over each fillet.1 small bunch parsley, 1 small bunch dill
- Cut the lemon in half squeeze one half over the fillets and cut the other half of the lemon into slices and lay them on top of the fish.1 medium lemon
- Add a knob of butter on top of each piece of fish.½ ounce butter x 2
- Arrange asparagus spears alongside each piece of fish.1 bunch asparagus tips
- Bring the sides of the tinfoil up over the salmon and make a double fold on the top. Make another double fold on the sides of the parcel to enclose the fish completely.
- Place the parcels on a baking sheet and place the tray in a preheated oven for 20 minutes
- Renove the parcels from the oven and open them carefully – there will be hot steam inside. Transfer the salmon and asparagus to a plate.
- Serve the salmon with boiled baby potatoes and freshly steamed vegetables. If you are feeling particularly hungry, add a fresh green salad on the side, and perhaps a helping of crusty bread.
Notes
Pack the assembled parcels into a large plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Cook from frozen, but add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time. Try making this dish with other vegetables such as broccoli, sugar snap peas or butternut squash. If you do substitute vegetables, take the cooking time into account. The vegetables should be able to cook in the same time as the salmon, ie 20 minutes. You can use any firm white fish, such as cod, haddock or hake. Nutrition is for one serving, and excludes any additional vegetables you may serve.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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