Parchment Baked Salmon with Green Beans

So this was the rest of the meal that went with the Southern Skillet corn.  I wasn't sure what it was going to be like but I knew we liked all the components - salmon, prosciutto and green beans. It ended up being a light and elegant dinner.  The salmon is wrapped in the prosciutto and placed on top of the green beans (the original recipe called for asparagus but green beans are in season right now).  Drizzled with olive oil, everything is wrapped together in parchment paper and baked for 20 minutes.  And if you like pesto (basil, arugula or probably spinach), definitely add this to the dish, too. 

The end result is a flaky salmon with salty prosciutto and cooked green beans.  It's a must to serve this with a large slice of lemon and I also topped ours with salt and lemon pepper.  It makes an elegant presentation with relatively little effort.  And perhaps the best part? Almost no cleanup! All the mess stays in the parchment paper which just gets thrown away at the end.

Parchment Baked Salmon with Green Beans (or Asparagus)
Taken from: Heather Christo
Serves 4

• 1 pound asparagus or green beans
• 4-8 tablespoons pesto (optional but it was delicious!)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 16 ounces salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 4-8 slices prosciutto
• lemon wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare the asparagus or green beans by slicing each stalk in half. Set aside.
3. Cut 4 large squares out of parchment paper. Take a large spoonful of pesto and place in the middle of the bottom half of the parchment paper. Take a quarter of the asparagus/green beans and place them on top of the pesto. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Wrap the salmon in one to two slices of prosciutto (I just used one per salmon fillet. Place the piece of salmon on top of the asparagus/green beans, and drizzle the salmon with the remaining teaspoon of oil.
5. Fold the top half of the paper down over the salmon and asparagus/green beans. Starting at one end, pinch the paper over itself in small sections until the paper is sealed.
6. Place the packets on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Bake the fish for 20 minutes or until tender and still a little translucent in the center. The paper will start to get a little golden around the edges.
7. Each person can tear open the paper when served. Serve with a lemon wedge and enjoy!