Fish en Papillote

I love fish. Pan seared, fried, raw - love it! However, one of my favorite ways to prepare fish at home is in parchment paper (aka en papillote). Even though you are baking the fish in the oven, sealing it in parchment paper steams the fish, as well as your veggies for a delicious meal! The best part (besides the taste) is that it only involves one pan, which makes for a quick, easy dinner during the work week. I chose a Wild Salmon as my fish in the example shown.

Fish en Papillote
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 - 6oz. filets of fish, your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon seasoning, your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper
2 bell peppers
10-12 small tomatoes, halved
5-6 button mushrooms, diced
1 yellow onion
10-12 stalks of asparagus, skinny
1 teaspoon garlic
1 lemon
Parchment paper
Scissors
Pen/pencil


Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While your oven is heating, place your fish on a plate and season with your choice of seasoning (I chose a Greek seasoning, but citrus is also delicious), salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.

Next, julienne* your peppers and onions. Cutting the vegetables thin will allow them to cook faster in the oven. Cut your mushrooms and tomatoes, and trim or snap off the bottoms of your asparagus stalks. These are too fibrous for consumption and will not cook down properly. Once the vegetables are all cut, toss them into a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the bowl of vegetables and lightly season with garlic, salt and pepper. Toss and set aside.

Now, it's time to prepare your papillote! Cut four 20" x 20" pieces of parchment paper. Fold each piece in half. Using a pen of marker, draw half a heart from the top of the fold to the bottom (like you did in elementary school.) Next, take a pair of scissors and cut the half heart out, which will create a full heart.



You are now ready to build your fish en papillote. Lay each heart flat and lightly brush the inside with olive oil. Place a piece of fish on one side of your heart. Next, lay down a hand full of vegetables over the fish. Finally, place a thin lemon wedge or two on top of your fish. I snuck mine in last minute in the picture below.

The last step is to tightly enclose your fish within the parchment paper. To do this, fold the other heart half over the fish and make small folds around the perimeter until it is completely sealed. If you are having trouble keeping it closed, just know that Martha Stewart seals hers with a paper clip because she's thrifty like that. Me, I seem to have mad origami skills...

Pop those babies in the oven on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes or until the parchment puffs up with steam. Place the full parchment bag onto each plate and carefully cut it open; keeping in mind that steam will burn you. You can also remove it from the bag, but it is not necessary.

Enjoy your fish en papillote with side of brown rice or salad, and a cold glass of Pinot Grigio! xo

*Julienne: a portion of food cut into thin strips.