Chef John's Baked Salmon in Parchment

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).

Take two sheets of parchment paper and fold them in half; cut out circular shapes starting from the middle of each crease. You should now have two heart-shaped pieces of parchment when unfolded.

Brush both sides of each parchment heart with olive oil to coat them evenly.

Boil water in a saucepan and add potatoes; cover with salted water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until potatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain the excess water.

While the potatoes are cooking, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the water with a colander and immediately submerge it in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Let it sit for several minutes until it's cold. Once the asparagus is chilled, drain well and set aside.

Take one salmon fillet, half the asparagus, and half the potatoes, and place them in the center of one prepared parchment paper heart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil for added flavor. Fold the other half of the paper heart over, making overlapping folds around the edge to seal it. Finish by folding the last crease in the opposite direction of the rest to ensure a secure seal. Repeat this process with the second piece of prepared parchment and remaining ingredients. Place the pouches on a baking sheet.

Bake the salmon packets in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting open the parchment to reveal the cooked salmon. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.