Light, fresh, and easy, you will absolutely love this elegant yet simple Fish en Papillote dish. Serve these charming fish parcels at the table so the steam and aroma billows out when opened - so much fun and irresistibly good! Rice, quinoa, or coucous will help soak up all the wonderful juices.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 16×13-inch (approximately) pieces of parchment paper
46-ozwhite fish fillets such as Cod, Halibut, or Sole
1/4cupextra virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
2tablespoonscrushed mixed peppercorns, or fresh black pepper to taste
3-4cups fresh baby Spinachwashed and dried
20 very thin lemon slices, from about 2-3 large lemons(use less if necessary)
1/2cupchopped herbs, such as basil, thyme, parsleyoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Place fish on a platter and pat dry. Drizzle the fish fillets with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil then season with kosher salt on both sides.
Lay one sheet of parchment flat on a work surface. Placethe spinach leaves in the bottom centre of the parchment paper, leaving room at the bottom. See photos in post for guidance. Top the greens with 3 slices of lemon and place the fish on top. Sprinkle with peppercorns if using, or with a few cracks of pepper to taste. Top with 2 more slices of lemon, the sliced red onions, and the caper berries. Place the cherry tomatoes around the fish and sprinkle with another pinch of kosher salt. Drizzle everything with a little more olive oil and 1 tablespoon wine.
Fold top half of paper over bottom half, making sure the two ends of paper meet. 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 (see photos in post for guidance). Repeat with all the fish fillets and place the pouches on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. If the fish fillet is thicker than 1-inch, cook for 2 minutes longer.
Serve straight from the oven on individual plates so everyone can open their own packets.
Notes
To store and reheat: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a small skillet over medium heat until just warm.Make ahead: You can assemble and seal the pouches up to 2 hours ahead and place in the fridge until ready to bake. But do note that due to the lemon and wine in this recipe, the fish texture could be damaged if made ahead much longer than that.