Quick and easy, Vegan option, Dairy free, Gluten free, Nut free, Soy free, Kid friendly
Recipe by: Jennifer Coatanroch
This is one of my favorite ways to cook fish. I don't even remember where I first saw it or learned about it, but to this day I still love it.
En papillote is a French culinary term meaning: “enveloped in paper”. You can use parchment paper or aluminum foil, and you wrap and seal the food so it steams in its own juices.
I love it for so many reasons:
It's healthy AND tastes great
It's quick and easy with very little clean up
It's great for kids or picky eaters- everyone can choose their own toppings
It's a great way to use up all the veggies you have in your fridge
It's a great excuse to visit your local farmers' market!
This dish can literally be prepared with ANY vegetables you have on hand. It’s healthiest, and more cost effective, to shop for vegetables that are in-season. You will always find plenty of in-season veggies at the Farmers’ Market, or also at your local grocery store.
The benefits of shopping in-season are 1- the price is better since there is not much travel/shipping involved for the product, and 2- they are more nutritious because they haven’t had far to travel.
The longer produce sits after it has been picked, the less nutritional value it has. Which is why frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh. They are picked and frozen right there on the spot, sealing in all of the nutrients! This is a great thing to know about come winter when much of our produce in the Northeast is not in-season.
So, YES, this recipe can even be made with frozen vegetables when you don't have any fresh veggies on hand!
This can also be prepared with any fish (or even chicken!) your family likes. Or make it vegan and skip the fish entirely! We know veggies have protein, so load them up, no need for the fish at all!
On the topic of fish, not all fish is created equal. So make sure to read this list of fish highest in mercury in order to limit in your diet, and see which fish are highest in heart healthy fats to increase in your diet.
Once you learn how to fold the parchment paper, this recipe is a piece of cake. It's a little tricky to learn, but it's worth the effort, I promise.
Start with about a 20" piece of parchment paper and fold it in half. Unfold and lay flat on the table. Place one piece of fish to the right of the crease, and season with salt.
Brush with Dijon mustard, and layer on all the veggies. It's going to look like you have way too many veggies, but don't worry, they reduce in size after cooked. Drizzle with oil, white wine, and top with lemon slices and fresh herbs if you'd like. Anything goes!
Once everything is piled in, fold over the parchment paper to cover the fish. Fold and crimp the parchment creating a half moon, making sure to press down on the creases well to prevent steam from escaping. Check out this quick how-to on the folding:
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes for cod,12-15 for thinner fish such as sole, and about 18 minutes for salmon. (I usually check the temp in my packet as the tester packet. Inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the fish, the temperature should be 145°F, and the flesh should be opaque and separate easily with a fork).
Bon Appetit!
Farmers' Market Fish en Papillote
Quick and Easy, Dairy free, Gluten free, Nut free, Soy free, Vegan option,
Kid friendly
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Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15-25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings _________________________________________
Ingredients:
4 3-4 oz pieces of fish of choice (salmon, cod, sole, etc.)
4 tsp vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
4 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup dry white wine
½ lemon, thinly sliced and pits removed (8 slices)
1 large shallot, sliced thin or diced
1 cob of corn, kernels cut from cob (about ½ cup)
1 medium zucchini, shredded, spiralized or sliced into half moons
1 medium yellow squash, shredded, spiralized or sliced into half moons
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 tbsp capers (optional)
12 olives, sliced width wise into circles (optional) (I use kalamata or black olives)
salt to taste
4 20” pieces of parchment paper, folded in half (aluminum foil can also be used)
Optional: Fresh herbs- Whatever you have on hand. Basil, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, chives and chervil all work beautifully.
*Use any vegetables that you have or that your family enjoys. Pile them high!
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1. Unfold the parchment paper and lay them flat on the table, individually. On each individual piece of paper, place one piece of fish to the right of the crease. Brush each piece of fish with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and season each with salt.
2. Layer on the veggies, directly on top of each piece of fish. Individualize each packet to each family member if you’d like! It's going to look like you have way too many veggies, but don't worry, they reduce in size after cooking.
3. Drizzle each packet with about 1 teaspoon oil, 1 tablespoon white wine, and top with 2 lemon slices and fresh herbs if you'd like. Anything goes!
4. Once everything is piled in, fold over the parchment paper to cover the fish. Fold and crimp the parchment creating a half moon, making sure to press down on the creases well to prevent steam from escaping. (Check out the video above for a full tutorial)
5. Place the packets on a baking sheet (label each one with a marker if you have different ones), and place in the oven.
6. For thinner fish, such as sole, bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. For thicker fish, such as cod, bake for 20-24 minutes. Salmon, depending on the thickness, takes about 18-20 minutes. To test for doneness, open one package with a scissor and make a slit in the fish to see if it’s cooked through.
To serve, you can either place each packet on each plate, and open with a scissor and eat right out of the packet, or you can cut open and place the contents on the plate (Just don't forget to pour the flavorful juices on the plate too!)
Bon Appetit!
*There are so many flavor combinations that you can do with this, so have fun playing around with ingredients you have on hand, or that you and your family prefer. Instead of white wine and lemon, try:
sesame , ginger and cashews
coconut and curry
peanut butter sauce and peanuts (pad thai) over pasta
spinach , tomato, feta and olives
asparagus, sun dried tomato and artichoke
So many options!