Salmon Pesto Parcels Food

SUPER SALMON PARCELS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Fill and boil the kettle.
• Place a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the pine nuts for 2 to 3 minutes, or until very lightly golden - keep them moving so they don't burn. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
• Pick the basil leaves, discarding the stalks, and pound in a pestle and mortar. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, very finely chop.
• Peel the garlic and add to the mortar with a pinch of sea salt and the toasted pine nuts - keep pounding until you have a green paste. Alternatively, very finely chop it all together on a large board, then place into a bowl.
• Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon and finely grate in the Parmesan.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and muddle together - you need just enough oil to bind the pesto and get it to an oozy consistency.
• Trim the stalk-ends from the beans and cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain.
• Fold just over half a metre of tin foil in half so you have a double layer.
• Place half the hot green beans in the middle of the foil.
• Lay a salmon fillet on top, skin-side down, and spoon over 1 tablespoon of the basil pesto.
• Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Pull the foil edges together and scrunch them up to seal the parcel.
• Repeat steps 8 to 12 to make the remaining parcel, then place them onto a baking tray.
• Bake in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and the beans are tender.
• While the salmon is cooking, refill and boil the kettle. Cut any larger potatoes in half, place in a small pan, just cover with boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return to the pan to keep warm until ready to serve up.
• When the time's up on the salmon, remove the tray from the oven and leave to stand for 1 minute.
• Carefully open each parcel (mind out for the steam!) and cut into each salmon fillet to check they're cooked, then slide onto the plate and serve with the cooked potatoes.
• Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and serve on the side for squeezing over.

PESTO AND SALMON PARCELS

Steps:

• Take the puff pastry and salmon out of the freezer and thaw for 2 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
• When the pastry and salmon have thawed, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and place a baking tray inside the oven as it heats.
• Unwrap and unroll the pastry onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Cut it into four equal-sized rectangles. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the pesto into the centre of each rectangle.
• Cut each salmon fillet in half widthways and place two halves, side by side, in the centre of each pastry rectangle, on top of the pesto.
• Brush the edges of each pastry rectangle with the milk, then fold the edges over themselves to create open parcels, pinching the corners to seal. Brush the exposed pastry with a little more milk. Squeeze a little lemon juice over each piece of salmon, and season, to taste, with freshly ground black pepper.
• Remove the baking tray from the oven and place it onto a heatproof surface. Arrange the salmon-and-pesto parcels onto the tray, then bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and is golden-brown, and the salmon is cooked through.
• For the vegetable rice, 5 minutes before the salmon-and-pesto parcels finish cooking, defrost the rice in the microwave until piping hot throughout. Meanwhile, cook the vegetables in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until piping hot throughout. Drain in a colander, then mix with the rice.
• To serve, divide the vegetable rice equally among four warmed serving plates, then place one salmon-and-pesto parcel on top of each portion. Garnish with the basil leaves, if using.

HOW TO MAKE PESTO SALMON PHYLLO PARCELS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Lay skin-side down on a cutting board or plate and top each fillet with a tablespoon of pesto, or more to taste, ensuring the entire top of the fillet is evenly covered. Set aside while you prepare the phyllo.
• Lay a sheet of phyllo flat on a work surface and brush with olive oil. Lay another sheet on top, brushing with oil. Repeat process for a total of four sheets, leaving the top of the last sheet dry. Place one of the prepared salmon fillets at the bottom of the stack of phyllo sheets with the pesto side facing up. Roll over once, so the skin side is facing up, then fold over the sides. Brush all over with oil. Continue rolling until the end of the phyllo, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet with the pesto side facing up and brush the top with oil. Score the top 2 to 3 times to allow steam to escape. Repeat with the remaining salmon and phyllo.
• Bake parcels in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest a minute or two before serving.

SALMON PARCELS

Steps:

• Season the fish with salt.
• Take two phyllo sheets and fold in half. Lay a piece of salmon on the phyllo, take care to tuck any tail piece under the salmon.
• Top each piece of salmon with at tablespoon of the pesto.
• Draw the phyllo up around the salmon and make a "knot" by twisting the phyllo so it stays in place.
• With scissors cut off any excess phyllo from the knot.
• Place each parcel on a non-stick cookie sheet. Refrigerate (covered with plastic wrap) until ready to cook.
• Heat your oven to 400°F Drizzle or spray the olive oil over each parcel.
• Cook in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes or until each parcel is golden brown.

PESTO SALMON

Steps:

• Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
• Place each salmon fillet in the baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.
• Apply freshly ground pepper to taste over each fillet.
• Gently spread pesto sauce over each fillet.
• Sprinkle parmesean cheese over each fillet.
• Optional: Place plum tomatoes slices on each fillet and sprinkle with a bit of additional parmesean cheese.
• Bake prepared salmon fillets in a 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.