Provencal Fish En Papillote     For Printer Friendly Version CLICK HERE

En papillote means ‘baked in a paper case”.  Easy yet impressive, cooking in parchment paper has many benefits. Food is steamed inside a tightly sealed paper packet, and very little, if any, fat is needed to produce moist and succulent results. Cooked quickly at a fairly high temperature, steam released during cooking puffs up the packet, so be careful when opening it.       

2 - 6 oz white fish fillets, fresh or thawed (halibut, cod, sole, orange roughy)
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper and dried tarragon or basil leaves

The classic method is to cut a heart shape, appropriate for Valentine's, but a rectangle or a square shape also works. Tear off two - 15-inch (38-cm) squares of Chefs Select Parchment Paper. Fold in half to create a crease, then open up.

Place fish near centre crease. Sprinkle each with half the tomato, shallot, parsley and lemon juice. Season each to taste with salt, pepper and tarragon or basil.

Fold paper over, and then tightly fold the edges together, crimping around all sides to seal packets completely. 

Place on a shallow rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated 400F oven for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Place each packet on a dinner plate and serve with basmati rice and sugar snap peas.  Makes 2 servings.

Make-ahead tip: packets can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated.