If you’re planning on staying in this Valentine’s Day and want to treat your Valentine to a romantic, deelish dinner at home with heart, here’s a sweet and easy idea.

Salmon En Papillote!

If you’re not familiar, en papillote means “in paper” and it’s a super simple, delicious, and (bonus) healthy way to cook, plus it always feels special, as you literally unwrap a package to see what’s inside (surprise!). What’s not to love about that?

Plus, the technique for wrapping en papillote literally involves cutting parchment paper in the shape of a heart, so there is no better time to give it a whirl then on this holiday of hearts.

This dish is flavorful but light, which means you won’t be feeling bloated and weighed down after dinner, which means…more room for dessert!

Here’s how to make salmon en papillote…

Salmon en Papillote for Two:

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon, cut into 2 pieces
1 green zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 orange bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 lemon
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil
splash of white wine
salt & pepper
parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse salmon and pat dry.

3. Wash and chop peppers, zucchini and squash into equal bite-size pieces (about 1 inch); rinse tomatoes.

4.  Cut a rectangle of parchment paper, about 18″ long. Fold in half. Cut a large heart. Watch this quick video to see how.

5. Atop a cookie sheet, lay out your heart and place a piece of salmon on one side of the heart; drizzle with olive oil and rub fresh cracked pepper and sea salt gently into the salmon. Top and surround with vegetables. Add a splash of white wine, a little fresh lemon juice and another drizzle of olive oil for good measure.

6. Fold the other half of the heart over and seal using this technique. Really, this quick video shows the best way. The most important thing is to get a secure seal, so that everything inside steams. (If you’re worried about it, you could also wrap the parchment paper heart package with foil). Repeat process with second heart.

7. With two wrapped hearts on the cookie sheet, insert into oven and cook for 15-18 minutes, depending on desired doneness of the salmon.

8. Serve on individual plates so that your Valentine can unwrap his/her own heart (do so with caution as hot steam is inside!).

Tip: Place a sweet note or card next to the heart, or secure a note with twine, reading “You’re such a catch” or “I heart you” and you are set!

[Photos by Kelly Golightly}