One of the many things I love about Vancouver is the fresh seafood — especially salmon. Salmmmmmon. Give it to me raw, fried, baked, seared, rolled in sushi rice, smoked…I’ll take it!

Aside from baking salmon ‘sandwiches’, I like making salmon in pockets. Why? It’s the simplest thing to prepare and you get a great tasting salmon that’s cooked to perfection. You can eat with grains, veggies, or if you’re like me who likes quick cooking, enjoy it with whole grain spaghetti.

I love that you just put everything in each ‘pocket’, leave it to bake and it’s done. See?

Have a go at it sometime and you’ll love that you don’t have to put too much effort to be rewarded with a great little dish that could (win your heart).

BAKED SALMON POCKET

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 1 salmon fillet, about an inch thick
• 1 roma tomato, cut in chunks
• 1/4 cup white onion, sliced
• lemon juice (quarter a lemon and have one for each fillet)
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

You’ll need parchment paper or aluminum foil to make your ‘pocket’.

Preparation

1. Preheat over to 375ºF with the rack in the middle.
2. Cut a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil big enough to fold over and tent (i.e. enough space at the top) an individual fillet. Place it on a baking dish or baking sheet.
3. At the center, put half of the onion, creating a ‘bed’ for the salmon.
4. Put the salmon on top of it and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
5. Place the rest of the onion and the tomato chunks on top of the salmon, and lightly drizzle with olive oil.
6. Fold the lengthwise ends together, and fold and tuck in at the sides. Make sure to leave a tent/balloon at the top.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, then keep the salmon in the oven for an extra 10 minutes.
8. Take out of the oven and serve immediately. You can use a spatula to take it out of the wrapping or place the pocket on individual plates to serve.
9. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the salmon before devouring. Delish!