Foil-Packet Salmon with Lemon, Thyme, and Blueberry

Foil packets are one of the best—and easiest—ways to prepare juicy, flavorful salmon. I created this recipe with Coley Gaffney, my cast mate on Food Network Star, as part of a multicourse “dinner and a movie” event at Firelight Camps. We paired this dish with a documentary about wild salmon—The Breach—projected on the canvas of our lobby tent. In this dish, tart blueberries and honey are muddled together to create a violet-colored sauce that elevates the toothsome wild salmon. -Emma Frisch

PREP In a lidded jar, combine the blueberries, honey, and lemon juice. Use the back of a spoon to gently smash and muddle the blueberries with the honey and lemon juice. Seal the jar tightly and then chill for up to 3 days.

Put four 12-inch-square sheets of aluminum foil on a work surface. Lay 3 lemon slices, with edges overlapping like dominoes, in the center of each foil sheet and top with a frozen salmon fillet. Season the salmon with the salt and lightly dust with pepper. Top each salmon fillet with 2 thyme sprigs.

Fold up two sides of the foil to meet in the middle and fold the edges over each other to seal the top. Then fold the two open ends of the foil to seal the packet. Seal the salmon packets in a ziplock bag and then chill for up to 24 hours.

1. Fire the grill to medium heat and position the grill grate 4 inches above the coals.
2. Using tongs, place the foil packets over direct heat and cook for 8 minutes. Using two forks, open the foil seal along the top, allowing the steam to escape and preventing the salmon from overcooking. Use a thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached 140°F. An easier way to check for doneness is with a fork; the salmon should be firm and easily flake apart. (If you see white juice seeping out—a protein called albumin—it’s overcooked. But don’t worry, the blueberry syrup will moisten the fillet.)
3. Serve the salmon directly from the foil—fewer plates to clean!—and spoon the blueberries over the top. Store leftovers in an airtight container, chilled, for up to 1 day.

Posted with permission from Feast by Firelight, text and illustrations copyright © 2018 by Emma Frisch. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Christina Holmes