Fillet Of Fish In Parchment Food

HOW TO COOK: FISH IN PARCHMENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place each fish fillet in the center of a 13-inch square of parchment paper. Season fish with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.
• Arrange citrus slices down the length of each fillet, sprinkle with herbs and scatter additional ingredients, if using, over the top.
• Lift the parchment paper on 2 opposite sides to meet in the middle above fish. Tightly fold down paper until it reaches fish, crimping to seal.
• Roll up and crimp the ends to seal. (Be sure the paper is sealed snugly so that steam won't escape during cooking. Secure folds with toothpicks, if you like.)
• Place the packets on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes for thin fillets like tilapia, and 14 to 16 minutes for thicker fillets like halibut and cod.
• Transfer packets to plates, carefully unwrap and serve.

FISH EN PAPILLOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together the onion, zucchini, carrot and garlic. Adds the oil, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Put each fish fillet in a large square of parchment paper and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the vegetables on top, dividing evenly. Top the vegetables with 2 lemon slices, 2 sprigs thyme, a pat of butter and 1 tablespoon white wine, layering in order. Fold the parchment paper around the edges tightly in 1/4-inch folds to create a half moon shape. Make sure you press as you crimp and fold to seal the packets well, otherwise the steam will escape. Arrange the packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don't leave the juices behind.

FISH IN PARCHMENT WITH CITRUS REDUCTION

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Zest half a lemon. Juice the lemon and 1 lime. Slice the remaining lemon and lime into very thin slices.
• Place a few lemon and lime slices in the center of each parchment square. Place a fish fillet on top. (The citrus will help to keep the fish from burning on the bottom.)
• In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon each lemon and lime juices, and drizzle over the fish. Top each piece of fish with a few slices of lemon and lime. Tightly fold the parchment paper into packages and make sure they are sealed well.
• Put the packages on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Put the remaining citrus juices in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce by half, stirring frequently. Add the sherry vinegar, honey and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Mix the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together with a slight pinch of salt and pepper for the garnish.
• Place each parchment packet on a plate with a rim. Carefully tear or cut open the parchment packets and drizzle the fish with a teaspoon of the citrus reduction and garnish with the parsley and lemon zest mixture.

FILLET OF FISH IN PARCHMENT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°.
• Oil lightly the center of your Silpat mat set on a baking sheet, or, if you don't have the mat, oil a piece of foil. Scatter the potato slices over the oiled area, then turn them. Salt and pepper lightly. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, turning once.
• Meanwhile, cut off an 18-inch piece of parchment paper, and fold it in half. Open it up, and on one half place the fish alongside the folded edge, after salting and peppering it on both sides (see illustrations on preceding page and opposite). Pile the zucchini, carrot, scallion, and ginger on top of the fish, salt again lightly, and splash on enough wine to bathe the fillet(s) lightly. After the potato slices have had their 10-minute pre-roasting, arrange them on top or around the edge of the fish and sprinkle the herbs over all. Fold the other half of the parchment over, then fold in the open edge twice, and pleat it all around to make a semicircular airtight package. If it tends to open up where the folded edges meet, secure that place with a binder clip or a large paper clip. Place on the sheet pan, and bake for 12 minutes. If you have a fairly thick fillet, you may need to bake it 1 or 2 minutes more. Test with a skewer; if it goes in easily, the fish is done. Plunk the whole parchment package on a big dinner plate, and enjoy.
• Second Round
• You can make a delicious salad with the remaining fish. Arrange a bed of watercress or young arugula leaves on a salad plate, and set the fish on top. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of Sauce Gribiche over it (see page 160), or, if you don't have that handy, use about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise thinned and tarted up with a little plain yogurt or lemon juice and seasoned with a small, finely chopped cornichon (or part of a dill pickle) and 1/2 teaspoon capers. Garnish with some strips of roasted red pepper-your own (see page 242) or from a jar-a few black olives, and some cherry tomatoes. Or try the Fish Salad recipe on page 157. These are just suggestions. Use your imagination, based on what you may have on hand.

FISH FILLETS IN PARCHMENT WITH ASPARAGUS & ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place parchment squares on work surface. Generously butter half of each parchment square; top buttered half of each with 1 fish fillet. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; top each fillet with 3 tarragon leaves, then 1 piece of butter. Arrange asparagus around each fish fillet; pour 1 tablespoon orange juice over each. Fold parchment over fish and asparagus, folding and crimping edges tightly to seal and enclose filling completely. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets, spacing apart. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Chill.).
• Bake fish packets 17 minutes. Slide packets onto plates and serve.

FISH FILLETS WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES IN PARCHMENT

Steps:

• On a work surface brush 1 of the pieces of parchment with the oil, turn it over, and brush the other side with the oil. Arrange a second piece of parchment on top of the first, brush it with the oil, and layer the remaining 2 pieces on top in the same manner. Season the fish with salt and pepper, arrange 1 of the fillets on one half of the top piece of parchment, and top it with 3 tomato slices, one fourth of the olives, 1/8 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, one fourth of the butter, one fourth of the zest, and 1 herb sprig. Fold the other half of the parchment over the fillet, beginning with a folded corner twist and fold the edges together forming a half-heart-shaped packet, and seal the end tightly by twisting it. Make 3 more packets with the remaining parchment and ingredients in the same manner. (Alternatively, the fish mixture can be wrapped in sheets of foil, oiling only the inside.) Bake the packets on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven for 10 minutes and cut them open before serving.