The first time I had a papillote, I was in France. When I broke into the paper, the escaping steam carried scents of wine, lemon and perfectly cooked fish. I was at once overwhelmed and, quite frankly intoxicated by the smells and the promise of the deliciousness about to come. “Papillotes” translates into “in paper”. They are little packets of parchment with goodness folded inside. The sorts of things can be ‘en papillote” are near limitless, but today we use a beautiful, firm whitefish topped with sundried tomatoes and preserved lemons.
8Fish Fillets6 oz. (salmon, halibut, maui maui, grouper or any firm fish)
Saltpepper
1cupPreserved Lemonsdiced
1cupSundried Tomatoes packed in oil and drained (reserve the oil) and julienne
2Shallots Finely Diced
4TChopped Flat Leaf Parsley
2cupsWhite Wine
4cupsBaby Spinach
2cupsArugula
1Medium Head Fennelcored and thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper
Parchment Paper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° F. Set two baking sheets aside.
Fold 8 sheets of 20-inch long parchment paper in half to resemble a book. Using scissor to cut each paper into a heart shape. Set aside.
Place a fish fillet on one half of paper near the folded edge.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Place on top of the fish one tablespoon each of the preserved lemon, and the sundried tomatoes, a sprinkle of shallots and the chopped parsley
Drizzle 3 tablespoons wine on top.
Working from one corner closest to the fold, make a series of small folds working around the edges of the parchment. Pressing firmly to “seal “ in the fish. Place the packet on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fish.
Place the baking sheets in a 425º F oven and cook for 12 minutes.
When the fish is almost finished baking, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. In Medium bowl toss the spinach, arugula and fennel with the dressing (you may not use all of the vinaigrette; adjust to desired amount of coating of the greens). Add salt and pepper, if needed
When the fish is done, Place each papillotes on a plate. Cut or tear back the paper, place a spoon of greens on top of then fish. Cover with the paper and allow the greens to slightly wilt. Serve immediately.
Notes
PRESERVED LEMON RECIPE is available at CucinaCasaM.com, search “Preserved Lemon” - or click on "View Full Menu" above.