Fish en Papillote Recipe

Hello, is there anybody out there?!?! 

Wow, it has been a long time since my last blog post and I apologize for that. There have been lots of fun and exciting things happening that have distracted me from getting any blog posts up.  Since March, we celebrated both my husband and my birthdays, went to the Bahamas, Quebec City, and Pennsylvania, celebrated Mother's Day, completed a very successful local MS walk, and I started a new job!  We sure have been busy, but with all of this celebration comes lots of fun food and recipes for me to share.  So stay tuned to lots of great recipes to follow this one. 

Fish en Papillote has become a very popular recipe in my house.  Don't let the fancy name fool you, this is a simple and easy fish dish that packs a big punch.  The recipe bakes the fish and vegetables together in a parchment paper packet to allow the layers of flavors to meld together.  The fish stays nice and moist by steaming in the packet with some white wine and olive oil.  Plus, the presentation is beautiful!  Each person gets their own packet, and seeing the steam escape from each packet around the table makes everyone feel special. 

I have modified the original recipe, but feel free to test out different vegetables and white fish types.  This recipe has so much flexibility, so use what you have on hand and make it your own!

Fish en Papillote Recipe

Recipe modified from Melissa d’Arabian

Serves 4 

1/2 red onion, julienned

1 red pepper, julienned
1 large carrot, julienned
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
4 (4-ounce) cod fillets or other white fish
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix together the onion, red pepper, carrot and garlic. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then toss to combine.

Put each fish fillet in a large square of parchment paper and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Arrange the vegetables on top, dividing evenly. Top the vegetables with 2 lemon slices, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1 tablespoon white wine, layering in order. 

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. Arrange the packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don't leave the juices behind.

Spicy Lime Fish Tacos

When I go on vacation, I love to try all of the local foods.  Learning about the different flavors, spices, produce, proteins, fish, etc is always something I love to do.  I am a foodie and this is a very exciting part of all of my vacations!  Like having raw squid in Japan, opakapaka in Hawaii, or ice wine in Canada.

My husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii and every day we made sure to eat fish.  It was so fresh and absolutely delicious.  Many times for lunch we would get fish tacos.  The combination of the fresh fish, soft taco shell, fresh salsas, sauces and toppings were outstanding and every shop we went to had a different spin on their culinary approach.

When we got back home from our trip, we were in serious withdrawal from fish tacos.  I was on the hunt to find an amazing recipe and came across this one.  It has fulfilled all of our expectations.  Having these bring us right back to the sandy beaches of Hawaii, even though there is still a lot of snow on the ground here in Massachusetts.  This is why I love food, it can foster up so many amazing memories. 



Spicy Lime Fish Tacos

Recipe from Love & Olive Oil

Serves 4

For the Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon honey

For the Fish:

1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup flour
2 4-6oz. mahi mahi fillets, sliced into 1/2 thick pieces
vegetable oil

1 cup cabbage, any color, shredded
Small flour tortillas
Chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and sliced green onions for garnish.

Directions
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a second bowl, stir together lime juice, honey, and spices for the fish. Add fish pieces and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 10-15 minutes.  Take fish out of marinade and lightly toss in flour. Shake off excess.

Heat a few tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add coated fish pieces to hot oil and cook until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side (Note that this will vary depending on how thick your fish pieces are).

Heat tortillas in a small pan until warm and bubbly. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve. Top with fish, cabbage, cilantro, green onion, and yogurt sauce.  Enjoy!

Panko Crusted Haddock with Capers

After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.  It is very convenient to just call in a take-out order, but if you are on a budget then this approach isn’t very practical every night of the week.  My husband and I came up with this easy way to prepare haddock that has tons of flavor and only calls for a few ingredients.  Because the fish doesn’t take long to cook, we like to create easy and quick side dishes to accompany our haddock.  Last night we served it with garlic sauteed edamame and parmesan couscous, delicious!

Panko Crusted Haddock with Capers

Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 350^o

1 ¾ pounds of haddock filets (skinned and boned)

1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil

1/3 cup panko crumbs

1 ½ tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon capers

Lay fish filets out flat (skin side down) on a glass baking dish.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil over the fish covering well so crust will stick to the fish.  Sprinkle panko crumbs and grated parmesan cheese over the haddock filets.  Next spread capers (with juice) over the fish.

Place in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until the fish is white and flaky.

Sauteed Edamame with Garlic

Serves 4

2 cups of frozen shelled edamame
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.  Once oil is hot add garlic heating until fragrant, no more than 30 seconds.  Do not allow the garlic to turn brown.  Next add the edamame and saute in the garlic oil for about 7-9 minutes until heated through. 

Parmesan Couscous Recipe

Serves 4

1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 cup dry whole wheat couscous

Bring chicken stock, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and parmesan cheese to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan.  Once at a boil add couscous, stir and cover.  Remove the sauce pan from the heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.  When ready to eat, fluff couscous with a fork and serve. 

Tips:

1)   When making this meal, I will start with preparing the fish and get that in the oven first.  Then I will start on the edamame and get that cooking on medium heat.  Next I add all of the ingredients together for the couscous and get it up to a boiling.  This will help with the flow of the preparation and allow everything to be finished cooking around the same time.   

2)   If your local market does not have haddock, no worries.  This also works great with cod and tilapia.