Quick Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment

Are you looking to increase healthy and sustainable seafood in your diet, but out of quick and easy ideas? This Quick Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment features frozen (or fresh) salmon with spiralized zucchini noodles, tiny tomatoes, and corn all tossed with your choice of homemade or prepared pesto. Garnished with fresh lemon, basil and toasted pinons, and this dish is elegant enough for company but easy enough for weeknight supper!

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership and I am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Pesto Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment on a round black plate with a striped napkin.

Do you have a spiralizer? If so, have you made “zoodles?” Embracing trends is not “me.” I cook and blog about what I like to prepare and eat! I also have a plethora of both motorized and non-motorized appliances. I was reluctant to get yet another appliance that would sit on my pantry shelves.  😂 At some point I succumbed… I bought a spiralizer!

About the Spiralizer and Cooking with Parchment

When I was working on this Quick Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment, my focus was on #Seafood2xWk, and I was looking for a simple (and quick) dish that could be done by most (if not all) home cooks on a busy weeknight using healthy and fresh ingredients. I knew I wanted to cook with parchment as it is such a forgiving method of cooking fish.

Enter. Spiralizer. The key to cooking fish in parchment is similar cooking times. A primary consideration when pairing proteins and veggies in a parchment wrapper is time required to cook. For example: I do not recommend cooking a hard vegetable like spiralized sweet potatoes with fish. Fish cooks quickly. Many veggies do not.

Spiralizing vegetables definitely reduces cooking time. Zucchini requires less time than sweet potatoes for instance.   🙂 Salmon and zucchini… but what else? Pesto perhaps? Check. What goes with zucchini? Corn and tomatoes. That’s my process, and it works.

Perhaps the combination speaks of summer? I don’t know… Zucchini, tomatoes, and corn are widely available year ’round. Salmon fillets and steaks are as well. Grab a GOOD jar of pesto, or make your own. (I do both).

If the pesto is made, you’ve got this delicious gluten free (and healthy) meal on the table in about 25 minutes! Garnish with some toasted pinions, a thin slice of lemon, and a fresh basil sprig, and it’s elegant enough for guests!

  • Salmon (it should be thawed)
  • Zucchini and spiralizer
  • Cherub (or other small) tomatoes
  • Corn (if using fresh remove from the cob) See video
  • Pesto (your own homemade or good quality store bought)
  • Parchment bags or paper
  • Baking sheet pan
  • Garnishes is using (toasted pinions, lemon slices, fresh basil leaves)

This is quite a short list of items (especially for one of my recipes right? 😉 ) While the recipe is written for 2 servings (because I’m usually cooking for 2), it is super easy to scale. I’m confident this will be a great addition to your #Seafood2xWk “wheelhouse!”

Pesto Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment ingredients ready to go in parchment.

🥘 Cooking Steps

  • Gather ingredients and equipment.
  • Preheat the oven.
  • Spiralize the zucchini.
  • Rub the salmon portions with pesto.
  • Toss the zoodles, tomatoes, and corn with pesto.
  • Place zoodle mixture and salmon in bags (or wrap with parchment).
  • Bake about 15 minutes
  • Plate and garnish with lemon, pinions, and basil as desired.

You’ll find more fish cooked in parchment ideas if you type “parchment” in my search box (upper right corner). See the bottom of the post for more spiralizer recipes!

Signature in red and green with chiles and limes.
Pesto Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment a bite of salmon on a fork in my hand.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps to offset the costs of maintaining my blog and creating awesome content! 😊

OXO Good Grips Spiralizer
Palisades Parchment Gourmet Bags

Yield: 2 servings

Quick Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment

Pesto Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment square image closeup.

Quick Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment features frozen (or fresh) salmon with spiralized zucchini noodles, tiny tomatoes, and corn all tossed with your choice of homemade or prepared pesto. Garnished with fresh lemon, basil and toasted pinons, and this dish is elegant enough for company but easy enough for weeknight supper!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Equipment

  • parchment bags, (see notes)
  • baking sheet pan

Pesto Salmon and Zoodles in Parchment

  • 2 small zucchini (about 4 cups spiralized), ends trimmed and washed
  • 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
  • 1 cup Cherub or other tiny tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons pesto
  • 2 salmon portions, 4 to 6 ounces each (see notes)
  • sea salt/fresh ground pepper, (see notes)

Garnishes

  • lemon slices
  • toasted pinions
  • fresh basil, chiffonade or sprig

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 convection).
  2. Spiralize the zucchini. Add to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add the corn and tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Season with a tiny amount of salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss thoroughly to combine.
  4. Rub the remaining tablespoon of pesto on the salmon. Season lightly if desired.
  5. Using tongs, add half the vegetable mixture to the bags (or the center of the parchment paper). Top with a salmon portion. Place on baking sheet in the preheated oven.
  6. Cook 15 minutes. Open one bag if uncertain to check for doneness.
  7. I cut an X on the top side of the bag, and using a large spatula lift the contents on to a plate. I pour any accumulated juice over the top.
  8. Garnish as desired with lemon slices, basil chiffonade (fancy term for rolled up leaves sliced very thin), and toasted pinions. Enjoy!

Notes

I love the convenience of these parchment bags. Of course you can make a parchment packet with a roll of parchment paper. I made a video on my Shiitake-Ginger Bathed Fish In Parchment when I was unable to get the bags and used a roll of parchment paper. It only adds a minute!

I have made this dish with both salmon and sea bass. Both were excellent. In both cases, the portions were thick (about 1 inch). Barramundi and other firm fish would work well also. If you use thinner pieces of fish reduce cooking time slightly. Accordingly, increase if you use thicker pieces. It's a forgiving cooking method though, and you're not likely to end up with dry fish!

Season with salt lightly. The pesto may already be pretty salty. I use a salt grinder, and just do a couple of grinds when I toss the veggies.

Macronutrients (approximation from MyFitnessPal.com): 37 g protein; 26 g carbohydrates; 31 g fat. Note: I used 5 ounces of salmon per serving (splitting the suggested 4 to 6 ounces in the ingredients). You can certainly reduce the salmon portion to trim some fat and calories while still having adequate protein.

I typically use smaller (salad sized) plates as they give a bigger impression! We watch portion sizes closely.

 

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 31gCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 37g

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Quick, easy pesto salmon and zoodles with tomatoes and corn in a black bowl with striped napkin and black fork.

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