Steelhead Trout and Veggies in Parchment Packages By Caitlin
This dish is one of my favourite ways to eat fish- a fresh fillet of trout or salmon covered with lemony vegetables and salty caper and olives. I always make sure to buy carrots and tomatoes at the market when I'm making this. It is such a simple dish, so the quality of your fish and the sweet deliciousness of your tomatoes and carrots before they are cooked is crucial. Plus, steaming en papillote is a great way to cook, everything stays moist and tender without the addition of any oil or cooking fat. This is one of the easiest ways to cook fish, it never seems to overcook and the packages are full of so many good flavours. I love steelhead trout, but have also made this with salmon, and imagine it would work with many different types of fish, just make sure the fillets are not too thick, or adjust the cooking time accordingly.
I have also done a great vegetation version with sweet potatoes, shitake, feta and cranberries. If you're a vegetarian, this post still has an idea for you, click here for another highly recommended en papillote recipe.
I have also done a great vegetation version with sweet potatoes, shitake, feta and cranberries. If you're a vegetarian, this post still has an idea for you, click here for another highly recommended en papillote recipe.
There is a bit of a technique to sealing the parchment paper so no steam escapes, I've tried to show a step by step below, but as long as it's all sealed up that's the important part. Then, serve the packages straight onto people's plates and let them open and enjoy at the table.
Steelhead Trout and Veggies in parchment packages
Adapted from alexandracooks.com
4 18×13-inch (approximately) pieces parchment paper
1 bunch Swiss chard, aprx 8-10 leaves (optional, this makes a nice bed for the fish to rest on, and the green colour is pretty, but I don’t always use it)
washed and dried 4 6-oz fish fillets,, sprinkled with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tb chopped purple onion
2 Tb caper s, drained
2 lemons, one quartered and one sliced horizontally
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives,
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots, cut on the diagonal, (small sweeter carrots are the best)
sliced basil, or chopped parsley
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Have all of your ingredients ready in small bowls set up in a line on the counter: vegetables, capers, olives, cut lemons, herbs etc. You will use about a quarter of each ingredient in each package, so eyeball the amount you have of each ingredient before you start.
4. Lay one sheet of parchment paper on the counter and fold it in half lengthwise just to make a crease. Open the parchment paper. Place about four leaves of Swiss chard in the center of the parchment paper just below the centerfold. Top with fish fillet. (see photo top right)
5. Top with onions, capers, tomatoes, and carrots. Squeeze quarter of a lemon on top and tuck lemon half next to fish. Then add some of the horizontally sliced lemons to cover and finish with a sprinkle of olives. (see photo bottom right)
6. Fold top half of paper over bottom half. Crimp and seal matched edges with small overlapping diagonal folds. (see photo top left) until your parchment is sealed in a half moon shape.
7. Repeat with each fish. Place packages on a cookie sheet,and cook about 10 minutes. (Estimate about 10 minutes per inch — if the fillets are a little bit thicker than one inch, add 1 or 2 minutes.) I found 10-12 minutes to be the right amount of time.
This recipe is very easy to double as well.
Adapted from alexandracooks.com
4 18×13-inch (approximately) pieces parchment paper
1 bunch Swiss chard, aprx 8-10 leaves (optional, this makes a nice bed for the fish to rest on, and the green colour is pretty, but I don’t always use it)
washed and dried 4 6-oz fish fillets,, sprinkled with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tb chopped purple onion
2 Tb caper s, drained
2 lemons, one quartered and one sliced horizontally
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives,
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots, cut on the diagonal, (small sweeter carrots are the best)
sliced basil, or chopped parsley
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Have all of your ingredients ready in small bowls set up in a line on the counter: vegetables, capers, olives, cut lemons, herbs etc. You will use about a quarter of each ingredient in each package, so eyeball the amount you have of each ingredient before you start.
4. Lay one sheet of parchment paper on the counter and fold it in half lengthwise just to make a crease. Open the parchment paper. Place about four leaves of Swiss chard in the center of the parchment paper just below the centerfold. Top with fish fillet. (see photo top right)
5. Top with onions, capers, tomatoes, and carrots. Squeeze quarter of a lemon on top and tuck lemon half next to fish. Then add some of the horizontally sliced lemons to cover and finish with a sprinkle of olives. (see photo bottom right)
6. Fold top half of paper over bottom half. Crimp and seal matched edges with small overlapping diagonal folds. (see photo top left) until your parchment is sealed in a half moon shape.
7. Repeat with each fish. Place packages on a cookie sheet,and cook about 10 minutes. (Estimate about 10 minutes per inch — if the fillets are a little bit thicker than one inch, add 1 or 2 minutes.) I found 10-12 minutes to be the right amount of time.
This recipe is very easy to double as well.