Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 20 min · 🍽 2
Foil is the shortest route from raw salmon to a finished dinner on the grill: no pan to scrub, no oil spatter, and the fish never dries out because it steams in its own sealed pocket. Chervil and parsley make a mild herb bed, and a lemon half grilled alongside gives you a tangy squeeze at the table instead of baking it into the packet.
The method takes variation without turning into a different dish. Swap the herbs for dill, leave one packet plain for the kid who won't touch anything green, and double the batch when more people show up. What stays constant is the timing: about 20 minutes on the grill no matter how many packets are on the grate.
This is a dinner that works as well on a Tuesday as it does on a Sunday, because the prep happens before anyone's hungry, and the cooking itself needs no watching and no flipping.
Ingredients
- håndfull fersk kjørvel
- håndfull fersk persille
- 400.000 g laks (fersk)
- 15.000 ml nøytral olje
- 1.000 ts krydder (diverse)
- 2.500 ml paprikapulver
- 2.000 sitroner
Instructions
Legg basilikum, kjørvel og persille i aluminiumsfolie.
Legg laksen oppå urtene.
Drypp olje over fisken og krydre med salt og pepper. Press litt sitronsaft over.
Brett aluminiumsfolien rundt fisken slik at du får en helt tett pakke og legg på grillen i ca. 15-20 minutter.
Del sitronene i to og grill i et par minutter med snittflaten ned.
Åpne laksepakkene og pynt med sitronskiver. Server med kokte småpoteter, en god salat og grillet sitron ved siden av.
This recipe earns its keep on nights when tastes in the house don't line up: because each portion seals in its own foil, one packet can get the full hit of salt, pepper, and paprika while another stays plain for a kid who still eyes fish with suspicion. The salmon comes out tender enough to flake apart with a fork, with no crust to work through, which makes it less of a fight for kids who usually push whole fillets to the side of the plate. At about 20 minutes on the grill and nothing to scrub afterward, it's one of the few dinners that actually survives a weekday with practice pickup and homework still on the calendar. It also travels well cold the next day, so a double batch on Sunday quietly covers Monday's lunchbox too.
FAQ
Can I make foil-packet salmon in the oven instead of on the grill?
Yes — bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. This is the fallback once the grill's covered for the season, it's raining, or you just don't have time to fire it up.
How do I store leftovers?
Let the salmon cool in the foil, then move it to an airtight container in the fridge, where it keeps for 1-2 days. Serve it cold over a salad, or reheat gently in a low oven. Skip the microwave on full power — it turns the fish dry and rubbery fast.
Can I swap out the chervil and parsley?
Dill is the closest substitute and usually easier to find at a regular supermarket than chervil. If you're using dried herbs, a third of the fresh amount pressed right onto the fish is enough. Basil works too, but it pulls the flavor in a completely different direction from the light, fresh herb bed chervil gives you.
How do I adapt this for a kid who doesn't like strong flavors?
Split the salmon into two foil packets before seasoning: leave one with just a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon, and season the other as usual. Chervil has a mild, faintly anise-like flavor most kids handle fine even in the seasoned packet, so paprika is really the only thing you need to leave out. Both packets go on the grill at the same time and finish together.
How much salmon should I plan per person?
Plan on about 6-7 oz (180-200 g) of salmon per adult and 4-5 oz (100-150 g) for younger kids. Cooking for four, double the fish and seasoning, but make two separate packets instead of one large one — the heat reaches the fish more evenly that way.
Is this a realistic weeknight dinner, or is it more of a weekend grill thing?
At around 30 minutes from counter to table, it holds up fine midweek, not just for a weekend cookout. Assemble the foil packets ahead of time and keep them cold until someone puts them straight on the grill or in the oven. That makes it one of the faster dinners to pull together after a day with not much gap between pickup and serving.