Recipe: Fish en pappillote for Lauren, England (3 recipes and variations)

Lauren, I think that Fish en Papillote would also be fairly easy to make for your parents. You can pretty much choose the kind of fish you wish to use, as well as the vegetables you wish to use. Following are some ideas and recipes for you to choose from. Good luck and let us know how your dinner turns out:-)!!

FISH EN PAPILLOTE

en Papillote

The classic method is to cut a heart shape of paper and fold in a papillote, a name that derives from papillon, French for butterfly.

An easier option is a rectangle or a square that suits the shape of the food - and is easier to seal (no scissors needed).

For each serving, tear off a 15-inch (38-cm) square of Chefs Select Parchment Paper. Fold in half to create a crease, then open up.

Fish En Papillote

Place a 6 oz (150 g) fish fillet (fresh or thawed), on one side of crease.

Types of fish - salmon, halibut or any white-fleshed fish - cod, sole, orange roughy are ideal and interchangeable.

Top with some thinly sliced or julienned vegetables - zucchini or thin stalks of asparagus, carrots, mushrooms or green onions.

Season with a pinch of fresh or dried herbs - dill weed, tarragon, thyme, parsley and chives are a natural with fish.

Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, white wine, fish or chicken broth or water, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Fold edges together, then tightly fold in the edges, crimping around all sides to seal packets completely. Place on baking sheet.

Bake in preheated 400F (200C) oven for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Place each packet on dinner plate and serve immediately.

Try these variations:

Provencal - Top fish with chopped tomato, a little minced onion, garlic, sprinkle of dried tarragon, chopped fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

Thai One On: Sprinkle fish with minced fresh ginger, garlic, green onion, fresh coriander leaves, a little Oriental hot chili paste (to taste) and a squeeze of lime.

Couldn't Be Quicker Cajun - Sprinkle 2 tsp Cajun seasoning mix over catfish fillets, and squeeze a little lemon juice over top.

In a hurry? Place packet(s) on a microwavable dinner plate. Microwave 1 packet at high for 2 minutes; 2 packets for 4 minutes or until fish is opaque.

Expand Your Recipe Repertoire

While fish is a classic for this type of cooking, as it is well suited to moist cooking methods; boneless, skinless chicken breasts or a mixture of vegetables can be cooked with equal ease.


Julia's Salmon Fillet en Papillote with
Shallots and Tomato (from julia Child)

Yield: 1 fillet, serving 1

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, soft
1 skinless salmon fillet, 6 to 8 ounces
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon very finely minced shallots (or scallions)
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato garnish
Whole leaves of flat-leaf parsley, about a dozen

Special equipment: A sheet of parchment paper, about 20 inches by 15 inches;
a cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Smear the butter in the very center of the parchment paper.
Season each side of the salmon with a big pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, and lay the salmon, its most attractive side up, on the buttered area of the paper.
Mix the minced shallots and tomato together and spread on top of the salmon fillet. Scatter the parsley leaves over and around the fish.
Lift the shorter (15-inch) sides of the parchment so the edges meet right above the salmon, like a tent. Fold over several times, then fold the sides together. Crimp the folds tightly with your fingers, or use several pins at the end to seal the package completely.
Set the package on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes for a fillet less than an inch thick, or 10 minutes for a thick fillet 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick.
To serve, carefully transfer the package to a dinner plate, remove the pins if you have used them, and simply unfold or cut the parchment open. If you'd rather remove the package before eating, cut or tear the paper alongside the fillet, and slide the fish right onto the plate.

Jacques

"The reason for folding a large case and inflating it as I do is not just to make a beautiful presentation. The principle of en papillote cooking is to create a kind of hothouse atmosphere. You need to inflate the case - before it goes in the oven - so there is enough air space between the food and the dome of the package. Then the hot, very moist air can circulate all around, as in a pressure cooker, cooking everything very quickly but keeping it moist. If you crimp your paper tightly, it's easy to blow it up like a balloon - in restaurants I use a bicycle pump, but at home I just blow into a straw.
Even if you are using a quick method like Julia's, without inflating, it's a good idea to leave some air space on top of the fish. One of the simplest ways to cook en Papillote is to use an ordinary brown paper bag - just put your fish in the bottom and fold the top over. You can also use aluminum foil for your package - which I do when I cook fish en Papillote on an outdoor grill."

Jacques's Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Zucchini, Carrot, and Shiitake Mushrooms (from Jacques Pepin)

Yield: 1 fillet, serving 1

1 skinless salmon fillet, 6 to 8 ounces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fine julienne of zucchini, about 3 inches long
1/4 cup fine julienne of carrot, about 3 inches long
1/4 cup very thin slices of fresh shiitake mushroom (about 1 medium cap, stem removed)
Whole leaves of flat-leaf parsley, about 10
1 tablespoon or so unsalted butter

Special equipment: A rectangular sheet of parchment paper, 24 inches by 16 inches; a cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Fold the paper in half. Season both sides of the fillet with half the salt and pepper and place it in the center of one half of the parchment sheet. Scatter the slivered vegetables and the parsley leaves over and around the fillet, dot the top with butter, and season with the remaining salt and pepper.
Fold and inflate the parchment casing [the cookbook has photographs illustrating the process]: After arranging the salmon and vegetables in the center of one half of the parchment paper, fold the other half over.
Start at one end to and pleat the paper along the edge.
Continue folding and pleating the edge, making a half circle.
To secure the folds, press down firmly with the edge of a small ramekin or
cup, rubbing it back and forth over the pleats.
Twist closed after last fold.
Now open the twist just enough to insert a straw into it.
Blow through the straw until the package is fully inflated.
After removing the straw and twisting the opening closed, paint the surface of the parchment lightly all over with vegetable oil.
Set the package on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes for a thin fillet (less than an inch) or 10 minutes for a thick fillet (1 inch or more).
To serve, carefully transfer the package to a dinner plate and simply unfold or cut the parchment open. If you'd rather remove the package before eating, cut or tear the paper alongside the fillet, and slide it right onto the plate.