Skip to Content

30-Minute Garlic-Ginger Salmon Dinner

August 22, 2023

It’s a fast and fresh meal that cooks itself in a little parchment packet! Our salmon en papillote has a delicious garlic ginger sauce and tons of veggies.

Categories

garlic ginger salmon on a plate with zucchini noodles, bok choy and shitake mushrooms
Photography by Gayle McLeod

A Garlic Ginger Baked Salmon That’s Ready In Thirty

Baking salmon in parchment paper—also known as cooking en papillote, which means “in paper” in French, is a simple, classic cooking technique. We use it here to cook an entire meal in a parchment packet—the fish, seasonings and veggies! The result is perfectly cooked salmon, bok choy, and zucchini noodles. Once you’ve made this salmon en papillote, we hope you try our Shrimp Scampi En Papillote.

honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, pepper, salmon, bok choy, zucchini and mushrooms in prep bowls

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Veggie-Loaded Salmon Dinner

  • Honey, garlic, and fresh ginger

  • Soy sauce or tamari

  • Seasoned rice vinegar

  • Sesame oil

  • Zucchini

  • Baby bok choy

  • Shiitake mushrooms

  • Salmon filets

honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper combined in a small glass bowl
salmon, zucchini noodles, bok choy, shitake mushrooms and garlic ginger sauce in parchment pouches
salmon, zucchini noodles, bok choy, shitake mushrooms and garlic ginger sauce in parchment pouches
salmon, zucchini noodles, bok choy, shitake mushrooms and garlic ginger sauce in parchment pouches

How To Cook Salmon in a Parchment Packet

  1. Make the sauce. Whisk together the honey, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil to make a simple, savory sauce for the parchment packets.

  2. Cut the parchment paper. Cut a large (about 18 inches long) piece of parchment paper into an oval.

  3. Fill the parchment! Put zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms and salmon onto one half of the parchment.

  4. Drizzle the salmon and vegetables with the sauce.

  5. Close the parchment packet! See the recipe for a complete how-to.

  6. Bake the salmon en papillote on a sheet pan.

  7. Serve! It’s important to serve it right away, because the salmon will continue cooking until you release the steam from the parchment packet.

30 Minute garlic ginger salmon dinner with zucchini noodles, bok choy and shitake mushrooms in parchment paper
garlic ginger salmon on a plate with zucchini noodles, bok choy and shitake mushrooms

How to Store Leftover Salmon + Tips

  • Leftovers will be good for 3-4 days after they are cooked. If you need to freeze, place leftovers in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to four months.

  • Cooking salmon in a parchment packet is extremely healthy. No oil needed, beyond what you might want to add for a hint of flavor.

  • It’s really fast. Moist heat—which is the type of heat that you're creating inside the parchment packet as the fish and veggies release their delicious juices and steam the fish—is a quick heat.

  • Cooking fish en papillote keeps it perfectly moist and tender. Along the same lines, it’s hard to accidentally overcook fish in a moist-heat environment like a parchment packet!

  • On that note, be sure to open the parchment packets gently. The steam will escape quickly, and you don’t want to burn your hands in the process.

  • Choosing salmon: Wild salmon vs. farmed salmon. Wild salmon is usually better than farmed—better tasting, much better for you, and better for the environment. However, recommendations are changing all the time, and it can be hard to keep up. Responsibly farmed salmon can be a better choice than irresponsibly caught wild salmon. When in doubt, you can always consult the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch site, or you can download their app for real-time recs at the grocery store!

garlic ginger salmon on a plate with zucchini noodles, bok choy and shitake mushrooms

More Great 30 Minute Meals From The Modern Proper

Let’s Keep The Easy + Tasty Meals Going

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

💌 Let's Stay Together

There are so many great ways to receive all of our latest recipes, meal tips, and inspiration.

30-Minute Garlic-Ginger Salmon Dinner

  • Serves:  2
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  10 min
  • Calories:  266

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups zucchini noodles
  • 2 baby bok choy, halved or quartered lengthwise
  • ½ cup shiitake mushrooms, halved
  • 2 (4-ounce) salmon filets, skin removed

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. In a small bowl, combine the honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.

  2. Fold 2 (18-inch-long) pieces of parchment paper in half. Using scissors, round the corners to make ovals. Open the parchments and place them on a large rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Divide the zucchini, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms on one half of each of the parchment ovals and top with the salmon. Drizzle everything with the marinade and fold the other half of the parchment paper over the salmon and vegetables. Fold the edges together tightly, working from corner to corner, to seal.

  4. Bake until the salmon easily flakes with a fork and the vegetables are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

  5. Divide the salmon and vegetables between two plates and serve immediately.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 266
  • Protein 12 g
  • Carbohydrates 26 g
  • Total Fat 14 g
  • Dietary Fiber 5 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 977 mg
  • Total Sugars 9 g

30-Minute Garlic-Ginger Salmon Dinner

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

or

    Any questions?

    Need to change up some ingredients? Unsure about a step in the method? Click the Ask a Question button above. We’re here for you.

  • Maria

    Delicious, easy and fast! A different way for us to enjoy salmon. We all loved it! Looking forward to try it again!
    Thanks for all these wonderful recipes. They are like fresh air for me when thinking about dinner time! :)

    Aw that is so great to hear, we are so happy we can help the dinner time blues! Glad you loved this one Maria.

  • Jenn

    This was phenomenal! It was so fast and cooking it in the parchment packet was so easy!

    Thanks Jenn, glad you liked it!