Red Snapper en Papillote

As many of you probably know, en papillote refers to a method of cooking, where the ingredients are wrapped up in a pouch and baked. Cooking fish this way practically guarantees a moist finished product, and allows all of the ingredients to infuse the fish, imparting an incredibly fresh taste.

It's also a wonderful mid-week dish because, from start to finish, it takes well under an hour.

Red Snapper en Papillote

• 2 snapper (or other firm-fleshed white fish) fillets
• 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
• 1 red onion, sliced thin
• 2 stalks green garlic, sliced thin
• 1 lemon, preferably Meyer
• 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp dried Fines Herbes (tarragon, thyme, chervil, parsley)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Season the snapper on both sides with kosher salt & fresh-cracked black pepper. Set aside.
3. On a piece of parchment* large enough to enclose both pieces of fish**, lay out a single layer of potato slices, and season lightly.
4. Next, layer on two-thirds of the onions and garlic, and half the tomatoes. Sprinkle this mixture with the zest and juice from half a lemon.
5. Lay the fish on top of the vegetables, and squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon half over the top. Season with salt & pepper, and drizzle with half the olive oil.
   

   

6. Top the fish with the remaining vegetables, and the fines herbes. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
7. Bring up the sides of the parchment, and pinch closed; roll the ends tight to make a sealed pouch.
8. Bake at 450º for 22 minutes (or 18 minutes for flakier fish).
   

   

*  I like to double-layer aluminum foil and parchment for better sealing & control (you can see what I mean in the first photo, above).
** You can also make individual pouches for each piece of fish, which is a very elegant presentation for a dinner party.

Comments

[JMK]

Oh...... Fattie Joonam,it look so khoshmazeh.
Dahanam aab oftad.

[shuna]

I imagine that this is proof that eating at your house is as or more delicious than eating out! I love this sort of cookery. It's gentle, pretty, easy and smells wonderful when you open the pouch. (not to mention easy to clean up!)

[Fatemeh]

Shuna, you flatter me! Although, I must admit that cooking this way speaks to me in large part because of the easy cleanup!

So bummed I missed the custard classes. The one at Sam's house looks AMAZING!

[shuna]

the very next amazing class could be at your house (AGAIN!)

What do I always tell my cooks? Flattery will get you everywhere. But truthfully, great chefs are evrywhere, not just in fancee kitchens!