Recipes: Salmon, Kale, and Lentils En Papillote

Treat your taste buds to a mouthful of salmon heaven.

This en papillote recipe mixes salmon, kale, and lentils together inside little packets. Since it’s the week of the 4th of July, you could say this recipe packs some flavor fireworks!

Salmon, kale, and lentils all make the dishes they’re featured in healthier. In particular, salmon is a terrific and delicious protein option that can be prepared a number of unique ways—just like it is in this recipe.

Put on your chef’s hat…en papillote is on the menu!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of dry sherry (or white grape juice)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• 1/2 of a cup of fresh cilantro
• 1 lemon, tested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon of garlic, minced
• 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
• 1/2 of a teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper
• 8 ounces of cooked lentils
• 4 cups of kale, steamed and chopped
• 20 cherry tomatoes (various colors, halved)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F.
2. In a blender, combine the olive oil, wine, cumin, paprika, cilantro, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic.
3. Season the salmon fillets with 1/2 of a teaspoon of sea salt and 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper.
4. Cut four 12×16-inch pieces of parchment paper and fold each in half. Open the parchment paper, then arrange 1/4th of the lentils and the chopped kale in the center of the top half of each parchment. Top each with a salmon fillet, 10 tomato halves, and 1/4th of the cilantro dressing.
5. Fold the bottom half of the parchment paper over the salmon and veggies. Start folding and crimping the parchment paper ends together, from one end all the way around to the other end, creating a sealed envelope. Fold the end under the packet. The packet should be fully encased, with no breaks in the parchment paper for steam to escape (that steam is a necessary part of the cooking process!). Place the packets on a pan.
6. Bake the salmon packets for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. Serve the packets on plates, tearing them open just before serving. If desired, garnish them with fresh cilantro, lemon zest, and more cherry tomatoes. Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts

Servings: 1

Calories: 535

Fat: 26g

Carbohydrates: 25g

Sugar: 5g

Sodium: 389mg

Fiber: 7g

Protein: 46g

Craving more nutritional advice? Click here to check out Beyond the Scale, the official health and wellness podcast of Fit Body Boot Camp!