FINFISH AND VEGETABLES EN PAPILLOTE

By akselden

Ingredients

• 4 5- to s-ounce portions fresh or frozen skinless lake whitefish pike, halibut, salmon, sea bass or cod fillets, about 3/4 inch thick
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Parchment paper or brown paper
• 1 large fennel bulb ( about 1 pound)
• 1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
• 1 cup coarsely chopped, peeled tomatoes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 2 tablespoons grape-seed oil, walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, oregano or marjoram
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro or chervil
• Hot cooked rice

Preparation

Step 1

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2 For fish packet. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper or brown paper into 14x14 inch pieces. Fold each paper in half to form a 14x7 inch rectangle. From folded side, draw half of a heart shape on the paper as if you were making a valentine. Using kitchen shears, cut along the line, then unfold the heart. Set aside.
3. To prepare fennel: Cut 1 inch above bulb; discard stalk. If you like, reserve some feathery tops for garnish. Remove wilted outer layers and cut a thin slice from the fennel base. Wash fennel and cut into quarters lengthwise; remove core. Using a thin blade of a mandolin slicer or a food processor fitted with a slicing blade, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have 2 cups).
4. To prepare zucchini: Cut in half lengthwise. Using a thin blade of the mandolin slicer or food processor slicing blade, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have 1 1/2 cups).
5 . To assemble papillotes: Open each parchment heart and place 1 fillet on half of each heart. Arrange one fourth of the fennel, zucchini, tomatoes and red onion over each fillet. Drizzle oil and wine evenly over each fillet and vegetables; sprinkle with basil. Top each with 1 herb sprig. Refold each paper heart over fillet mixture along its original fold line. Bring the cut edges of parchment paper together. (Although a round or oval shape can be used, the heart is the classic shape for a papillote. The name comes from the French word papillon, which means butterfly.)
6. . To. seal: Starting at the top at- the heart, turn up the cut edges of each heart and fold, then fold again, forming the second fold on top of the first fold. Fold only a small section at a time- to ensure a tight seal. When you reach the bottom, twist the tip of the heart to seal, forming a tight packet. Fold point of heart under to hold in place. Secure with a sanitized paper clip. (The secret to a beautifully puffed papillote is a tight seal) Transfer packets to a large baking sheet or shallow baking pan.
7. Bake in 375° oven 20 to 25 minutes or till paper slightly puffs up and fish is opaque, but still moist (fish just begins to flake easily). Carefully open paper to check doneness. Immediately transfer bundles to individual plates. Carefully cut open top of paper by using kitchen shears to cut a large X in the paper. Discard herb sprigs. Sprinkle fish with parsley or cilantro and additional salt and pepper, if you like. Serve immediately with rice. Makes 4 servings.
"Note . If you like, substitute 1 medium carrot and 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced, for the 1 large fennel bulb.