IMBB5: Tarragon Honey Copper River Salmon En Papillote

Is My Blog Burning? Absolutely! Once again, food bloggers get together, virtually that is, to participate in this fun exercise. Last month was the lovely Pim's Around the world in a bowl of rice: Is My Blog Burning? 4th edition . This time, creating yet another ingredient focused recipe Wena from mum-mum eat eat designated this IMBB Catch of The Day: Fish as the theme for this installment.

And today, taking advantage of yet another glorious sunny day in Seattle we headed down 1st Avenue to Pike Place Market to shop for the ingredients for today's dish. First stop: Le Pichet for Le Déjeûner and Sunday's New York Times. From there a pit stop at Pure Food Fish Market where our friendly fish mongers Harry and Matt helped us pick up a pound of gorgeous Copper River Salmon for today and another pound of Halibut for tomorrow. Then we stopped to see our favorite mushroom forager for just harvested Morel mushrooms. We picked up fresh and fat organic Yakima beets, early red onions and Yakima sweets from the friendly and funny guys at the Alvarez Farms table (from Mabton). Fresh no spray Snohomish County Raspberries and Fireweed honey from our favorite MoonValley Honey.

After all the Pike Market browsing, shopping and after stopping to see Michel at Kosher Delight for a quick refreshment (it was so hot out today!) we took a cab home to drop our loot and head back out to take the Monorail Shuttle to Seattle Center for a leasurely walk, cool off by the fountain and check out EMP and the new Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. We ended up at McCaw Hall , Intiman Theater and Larry’s Market on Mercer to pick up our long waited for Ginger-Mango White Stilton to have for dessert. Another quick cab ride home and we were elated to enjoy a climate controlled apartment (on a day like today it is bliss indeed!) . After a little break it was time to start cooking...

The inspiration for my recipe came from the book Celebrate the Rain; Cooking with the fresh and abundant flavors of the Pacific Northwest (purchased Thursday at the Bellevue Farmers Market . I wanted to use honey (the recipe was for Honey Glazed Salmon with Figs and Cranberry Vinaigrette). But I also wanted to put to good use the fragrant tarragon I picked at the Market on Thursday (chopped with my trusty Typhoon mezzaluna) and I wanted to use up Friday's figs for the beet salad and skip the cranberries altogether. And of course, with Copper River Salmon still fin flapping fresh all over Seattle's fish mongers and supermarkets, I just HAD to choose this beautiful and flavorful fish over all others.

All my ingredients at hand, I started by getting the fish ready, marinating it in the mixture of fresh honey, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, tarragon, garlic, Maldon salt, The Cape Herb & Spice Company Grains of Desire pepper blend (black pepper, nutmeg, orange peel, rose petals, grains of paradise, ginseng and cloves) . I placed it in a Ziploc bag and let the fish infuse in the marinade for about an hour, cozy and cold inside the refrigerator.

In the meantime, I was busy with the rest of the meal. A Warm roasted beet, fig and early red onion salad and Morel mushroom and white truffle oil roasted red potatoes (recipes to be posted tomorrow). By the time Six Feet Under was over, the salad and potatoes were ready. And as soon as Dan Rather's former President Bill Clinton interview was finished, the fish was ready to be put in the oven.

En Papillote is one of my favorite ways to cook fish. The fish cooks inside a wrapping or envelope of parchment paper, steaming the contents while concentrating its flavors. When you take it to the table, you slit and peel back the parchment to reveal the food. Easy to make, to bake, lovely to serve to guests and cleanup is a breeze.

I placed my salmon in its parchment paper housing, baked for 25 minutes at 350F and upon opening the envelope all the honeyed tarragon aromas were released. Success! The fish was flaky, tender, moist and utterly tasty. The potatoes and salad were a wonderful and truly complimentary combination of sweet and sour heaven (beets, figs and Balsamic Vinegar) and of earthy goodness (Morels and white truffle oil). What a lovely way to end a fantastic weekend in the Emerald City.

Tarragon Honey Copper River Salmon En Papillote

1 pound Copper River Salmon fillet (skin & pin bones removed)
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-4 grinds of Cape Herb's Grains of Desire (optional)
Maldon salt to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Stir together in a small bowl all ingredients except for salmon. Brush mixture on the fish. Marinate for an hour minimum in plastic bag inside refrigerator. Take salmon from bag and place in parchment paper, creating a large envelope- type pocket. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the salmon has just a touch of translucence in the center of the thickest part.

Enjoy!