Steamed Salmon with Garlic, Herbs and Lemon
If there’s one cookbook that’s stayed in the front of my mind recently (besides my own) it’s 100% Istanbul from Cookbook Club #10! There’s a steamed salmon recipe in the book that drives me WILD. And I’m convinced it’s 100% the best way to cook fish.
So obviously the right thing to do, was to put my spin on it and add it to the blog for all of you. It’s quite possibly the easiest way to cook salmon. 1: there’s basically no clean up due to the parchment paper… winning. 2: you don’t risk your kitchen smelling fishy because there’s no opportunity for the salmon to splatter all over your counter when you sear it. 3: it’s a one-pot dish and we all LOVE that.
All of that boils down to a recipe for success! I’ve been making this for dinner parties on the regular recently. I’ll serve it up with some steamed white rice that I’ve tossed with plenty of mint for extra flavor. And then a veggie on the side. It’s simple, incredibly flavorful, and I am 10000% positive you guys will be obsessed!! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb skin on salmon, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, sliced as thin as possible
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Cut a 2 foot length of parchment paper and center it in a 10-inch heavy bottom skillet that has a lid (Le Creuset or something of the sort)
- Put the fish, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to combine. Transfer all of it to the lined skillet with the fish skin side down. Arrange the lemon sliced in a single layer over the fish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and wine. Fold the paper over to cover the fish and crimp the edges together to seal. Cover the pan with the lid. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE PAN. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes depending on if you want your fish medium to well done. Remove the pan from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, carefully open the paper and serve directly from the skillet so you can get all the juices at the bottom. Serve alongside a bowl of steamed white rice with mint
I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and I would love to see how it turns out. Make sure to share it on instagram and tag me @whatsgabycookin so I can see your masterpiece!
Does the wine get put in with everything in the beginning?
wine goes in with the olive oil!!
Just made this for dinner, and it was awesome!
Great light meal for this summer heat that I’m experiencing at home now and I love how it literally took a minute to rinse the pot as clean up!
Just made this….So yummy!!! I forgot the wine and it was still good.
Just realized I’m out of parchment paper! Can I still make without it or does it make a significant impact? Thanks!
it’s what steams the salmon so it def makes an impact!
Excited to try this recipe. My husband is allergic to salmon. Is there any other fish you could recommend as a substitute?
sea bass or any firm white fish
Gaby, you are a genius! We have made salmon several ways; but this by far is the easiest, most flavorful way to make salmon! Tried it last night and I love how simple it was to make. It will be on repeat! Thank you for the recipe.
My husband is not a fan of dill. What other herb could I put in there? Would fennel fronds work, do you think?
Planning to make this soon, but wondering what I could replace the dill with. Fennel fronds? Just double the parsley? Thanks!
fennel fronds or parsley or chives would be excellent
Excellent recipe! Could I use a crudest Dutch deeper pan??
totally! anything with a heavy bottom and a lid is perf
Excellent dish!!!! I dint use the paper and put it straight into my cast iron and skipped the wine and salt. Awesome!!!!!!
Wait a minute. Cook on the stove?? Not in the over?? I’m confused but I’m really trying
on the stove!
any suggestions for something to replace the white wine with? Or is it a key ingredient I shouldn’t omit?
it really does add to the flavor!
Is there anything in the bottom of the pan? Underneath the parchment paper! I’m afraid the pan will burn.
nothing under the parchment!
Do you think this would work well with red grouper?
haven’t tried it but I think so!
I’m eating this as I type – freaking delicious! Awesome recipe; will continue to cook fish this way. Only thing – the parchment paper was slightly burned on the bottom. What did I do wrong??.
that happens!! it’s okay!!
Absolutely delicious! The slight sweetness from the wine totally makes this salmon. Made it after seeing your insta live. I think this might be my new favorite way to make salmon.
Does the fish all have to fit in an even layer on the bottom? Or can some pieces overlap if I double the recipe? Thanks
they can overlap!
1) this was the quickest but most gourmet post-work dinner I ever made! The salmon was so tender and flavorful and delicious
2) that being said, all the onions and herbs at the bottom of my parchment paper burnt. Do you think o used too high heat? Unequal distribution / not enough oil? I cut the recipe in half to make a single portion, maybe not enough stuff in the Dutch oven to capture and create steam? Will 100% make again!!!
the heat might have been too high – and did you use a smaller dutch oven to make up for the empty space?
I did not, which now seems like the obvious thing to do! Honestly, I am probably going to try it again tonight, it was so good! Super appreciative you took the time to respond!! 🙂
Hi, how to replace white wine if you dont consume any alconol? Just omit? Thanks!
honestly the wine is a super key ingredient in this – are you able to use non-alcoholic white wine? If not, you could use stock but it won’t be quite as flavorful
Made this tonight with cod and it was delicious! I forgot the wine and it was still super tasty. Thank you, Gaby
Was wondering if I could sous vide this?
haven’t tested it that way but feels like it would work!
This was delicious. I made it with arctic char, rather than salmon. I think the oil could be reduced, perhaps by 1 T, so a total of 3T. Also, I used only 1 lemon, as there wasn’t room for more. I might reduce the dill next time, as it was a bit dense. I steamed it exactly as described, and it was perfectly cooked.