Salmon al Cartoccio

Name: Salmon al Cartoccio
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian; French; Greek
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt flakes; 1/2 teaspoon dried Greek oregano; 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 lemon, very thinly sliced; 6 large (or 12 small) green olives, pitted and sliced; 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced; 1 x 600-700g centre-cut piece of salmon fillet, skin on, pin-boned; Skordalia, for serving

This salmon al cartoccio (or sto harti in Greek) is inspired by the classic Greek slow-cooked lamb taught to me by my friend Janni Kyritsis. The low-slow cooking in a parcel gives a wonderfully delicate result, the fish is cooked through but still quite bright and ‘just-set’ in the thickest parts. Cook the salmon for a longer or shorter time, depending on how you like your fish. The Italians call cooking in parchment paper al Cartoccio, in French it’s en papillote and to the Greeks it’s sto harti or kleftiko. Slice the lemon and garlic very thinly so they’ll cook through and, depending on your taste, discard them after cooking once they’ve flavoured the salmon. For maximum flavour, it’s also best to cook the salmon with the skin on, even if you discard it before eating. You can prepare it in the bag 2–3 hours before cooking, but no longer as the lemon will start to ‘cook’ the delicate fish. If you refrigerate the marinating fish, remove it from the fridge an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Serve your salmon al cartoccio with plenty of crusty bread and a side dish of Pan-fried Agrodolce Radicchio if you like. I love a rose with this recipe, especially the rosato from Edoardo Patrone in the Piedmont Alps.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt flakes
½ teaspoon dried Greek oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
6 large (or 12 small) green olives, pitted and sliced
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1 x 600-700g centre-cut piece of salmon fillet, skin on, pin-boned
Skordalia, for serving (see video below)

Method

Combine oregano, fennel, salt and pepper and crush using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Mix with oil.
Lay a large piece of baking paper on a clean, dry work surface. Place fish on top, skin side down.
Pour oil mixture over it, arrange garlic, lemon and olives on top, spoon up any oil that’s run onto the paper and drizzle it over the top.
Wrap the baking paper around the fish, folding in the edges to form a secure parcel so juices can’t escape.
Place another piece of baking paper on the bench, put the parcel upside down onto it and roll it up to enclose it completely.
Place into an oven bag, twist the top of the bag but don’t seal it, leaving room for the air to expand as it heats.
Place in a baking dish, skin side down, with the end of the bag tucked loosely underneath or pressed against the side of the dish to hold it in place, ensuring the juices can’t escape.
Set aside for an hour or so at room temperature to marinate.
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Place in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Remove salmon from the bag, reserving the other contents.
Place on a platter, drizzle the cooking juices, lemon, garlic and olives over the top and serve with skordalia.