At a time when cookbook authors were covering great stretches of territory (China the Beautiful, say) or claiming entire landfalls of subject matter (Seafood the Beautiful, say), James McNair came along in the mid-1980s with slim volumes dedicated to single subjects and designed with an exacting eye.
Diners are greeted by aromatic bursts of southwestern flavors when they cut open these puffed packets. The rest of the meal should be completely ready so that the parchment bundles can go directly from the oven to the table.
The only problem with this cooking method is the inability to test the fish to see if it is done, you'll have to rely on measuring the thickness of the fish beforehand and cooking it to minutes per inch for completely opaque fish, or a little less if you prefer moister fish. Choose firm-fleshed or flaky-fleshed fish for this method, soft-fleshed fish cooks too quickly.
Makes 6 servings
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, vegetable oil, or cooking spray for greasing
About 2 medium-sized ears corn, or 1 cup thawed frozen or drained canned corn kernels
2 small carrots, peeled and slivered
2 green onions, including green tops, slivered
1/2 large red sweet pepper, stem, membranes, and seed discarded, slivered
1 or 2 fresh serrano or other small hot chiles, stems, membranes, and seeds, discarded, slivered
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
6 firm-fleshed or flaky-fleshed fish steaks, about 8 ounces each and 1 inch thick, or 3 pounds fish fillet, skinned and cut into 6 equal pieces
6 tablespoons tequila
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt
Ground ancho, pasilla, or other dried mild to medium-hot chile
6 thin lime slices
Fresh cilantro (coriander) sprigs for garnish
Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F.
Cut kitchen parchment into 6 rectangles measuring 10 by 20 inches each. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush one side of each sheet with butter or oil, or coat with spray. Fold each rectangle in half to form a square with greased sides facing each other. Set aside.
If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cobs and measure out 1 cup.
In a bowl, combine the corn, carrots, onions, sweet pepper, fresh chiles, and chopped cilantro. Open the greased parchment and scatter half of the mixture evenly over one half of each piece of parchment, dividing evenly and leaving at least a 2-inch border all around each piece.
Quickly rinse the fish under cold running water and ate dry with paper toweling. Place a piece of fish on top of the vegetable on each piece of parchment.
In a small bowl, stir together the tequila and lime juice. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture over each piece of fish. Drizzle the fish evenly with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and ground chile to taste. Place a lime slice on each piece of fish and scatter the remaining vegetable mixture evenly over the tops.
Fold the other halves of the parchment over the fish and seal each packet securely by making a series of tight overlapping folds along each side to form a square. Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake until the packets puff up, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the packets to warmed plates, garnish with cilantro sprigs, and serve immediately, allowing diners to open packets at the table.
