Foil-Packet Salmon with Lemon and Onion
A pouch of salmon steamed over onion and lemon on the fire grate. Car camping only, day one.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Center-cut salmon fillet, skinless | 1.5 lb | one piece, not four, so it cooks evenly |
|---|---|---|
| Red onion | 1 | halved lengthwise, sliced paper thin |
| Garlic | 1 clove | sliced |
| Lemon | 1 | sliced as thin as you can manage |
| Butter | 4 tbsp | melted |
| Dried Italian seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Kosher salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Get the fire down to a bed of coals, or the grill to medium-high. Flames will scorch the foil before the fish is done.
- Tear a 24-inch length of heavy duty foil. Toss the onion, garlic, and lemon with salt and pepper, then pile the mixture in the middle of the sheet.
- Lay the salmon on the pile. Pour the butter over it, then the Italian seasoning and more salt and pepper.
- Bring the two long edges of foil together and fold them over twice. Crimp the ends shut but leave the packet loose. It needs air inside to steam.
- Set the packet on the grate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Open it away from your face. The fish should be opaque through with a slightly pink center. Rest it five minutes off the heat, then split it four ways straight out of the foil.
The onion, lemon, and garlic are not garnish. They lift the fish off the hot foil so it steams instead of frying, and the liquid they give up mixes with the butter into a sauce that ends up in the bottom of the packet. Skip the layer and you get a scorched underside.
One big fillet beats four small ones over a fire, where the heat is never even. A thick piece is forgiving, and you can split it after it rests. This one stays a car-camping recipe. Salmon and butter need a cooler, so cook it the first night and do not try to stretch it further.
Packing
Slice the onion, garlic, and lemon at home and bag them together. Melt the butter into a small jar. Salmon stays in the coldest part of the cooler and gets cooked the first night out.
Variations
- No cooler space for butter: olive oil works and does not need to stay cold.
- Trout or arctic char cook in about the same time.
- A handful of small potatoes, sliced thin and laid under the onion, turns this into a whole dinner.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/salmon_in_foil_pack-2463.asp