Foil-Wrapped Baked Salmon

Why This Foil-Wrapped Baked Salmon Works

Inside the foil packet, the salmon basically cooks in its own steam. As the oven heats it, the fish starts to give off juices, the olive oil thins out, and the lemon slices let out their liquid. All of that stays trapped in the foil instead of drying out in the oven, so the salmon stays moist and soft instead of turning tough.

While everything cooks together, the garlic, dill, salt, and pepper spread through those hot juices and soak into the fish. The onion slices and cherry tomatoes soften in the same steam, so they don’t burn or dry out either. They drop a little more liquid into the packet, which keeps the bottom of the salmon from sticking and drying.

By the time the foil is opened, the salmon flakes easily with a fork, but still holds together. The vegetables are tender, the lemon slices are softer and less sharp, and there is a small pool of hot, seasoned liquid around the fish that can be spooned over the top.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the salmon bake too long in the sealed foil packet can quickly dry it out. The trapped steam keeps cooking the fish even after it looks done, so the flesh turns stiff and chalky instead of moist and flaky.

Leaving gaps in the foil or not sealing the packet tightly causes the steam to escape. Without that trapped moisture, the top of the salmon can dry out and the onions and tomatoes can shrivel and burn at the edges while the center of the fish cooks unevenly.

Placing very thick lemon slices directly on the salmon creates wet, sour patches that don’t cook the same as the rest. Those spots can stay pale and soft while the uncovered parts of the fish reach the right texture, so the fillet ends up uneven.

Crowding all the tomatoes and onions on top of the salmon instead of around it leads to a soggy surface. The vegetables release a lot of liquid as they cook, and when it all sits on one area, that part of the fish steams in a puddle and turns mushy.