En Papillote, Cooking in Parchment
Cooking technique that’s easy, healthy and fun
Cooking in parchment paper, en papillote in French or al Cartoccio in Italian, adds dramatic flair to dinner. It's a perfect technique for delicate fish filets.
Rediscovering cooking en papillote - inspired by some gorgeous grey sole. Grey sole is a member of the flounder family and not so common a find at the groceries these days. They're not over-fished, but there was a period when they were in danger of disappearing. The bottom-dwelling flat fish were trashed as unwanted products of shrimp trawling.
Cooking en papillote is a method in which you seal the food in a pouch and bake. The food essentially steams in the oven in its own juices. Grey sole, being a very delicate fish with flat fillets is perfectly suited to this technique. The method is also incredibly easy and has the added benefits of being a low fat method of cooking and easy to clean up. You can use the method to cook vegetables and fruits, even chicken and pasta can be prepared in this method.
The keys to the technique are: 1) use fresh ingredients; and 2) preparation or mise en place. Using aromatic vegetables, herbs, and if you like, a little vermouth, wine, or olive oil can add depth.
The contents can be completely vegetarian, as in the photo from a vegan blog called What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway. The blog includes a vegan dinner using the en papillote method for Leeks and Sweet Potatoes.
Once the cooking is complete, each diner has his or her own puffed, slightly browned packet to open at the table. It never fails to elicit smiles as diners tear open their packet and aromatic steam escapes.
Parchment paper for cooking is found in most grocery stores near waxed paper and foil. Foil can be used in place of parchment if you're unable to find it. If you were a scout as a child, you probably recall foil packs of food cooked right on the fire. This is the same technique but we can execute it much more elegantly now that we're all grown up. Here's how.
Preparation is everything
Lay out all my ingredients ("mise en place") before assembly. Once you've done the slicing, you can put a little cous cous on and everything will be done by the time you've finished washing your cutting board.
Let's assume you've got a beautiful fresh fillet of fish such as flounder/sole, tilapia, or salmon. After washing and patting dry simply season with a little salt and pepper or other spices.
- Thinly slice or julienne a few aromatic vegetables - fennel is lovely with this type of fish and can be found in markets now, I like to include carrots, shallots, celery, mushrooms. Just remember that everything is going to be cooking exactly the same amount of time. Slice accordingly.
- Cut a piece of parchment (doubled over) which is large enough to encase your filet with an inch or so margin around it. I like cutting a heart shape for the packet - remember grade-school Valentines? A rectangle works just fine, too.
- Lightly butter or oil one-side of the heart, place a couple of lemon slices on it, top with the filet. (Preparing the packets on your baking sheet can eliminate any transfer problems.)
- Add the julienne of vegetables, some herbs, a splash of dry vermouth and/or a splash of olive oil and you are ready to crimp.
- Beginning at the wider part of the valentine, begin folding the paper over itself. As you move around the paper, you'll end at the pointed end of the heart, fold under. If you have trouble with the crimping, you can staple the packets shut, too. No parchment? Foil is fine, and a good way to get acquainted with the technique.
That's it!
Pop onto a cookie sheet (which you probably won't even have to wash) and into a 400 degree oven and about 6 - 10 minutes later you're opening your pouch!
Here are a few combinations that work well:
- Dry vermouth, thyme, parsley, dill with fennel, carrot, celery and shallot or onion.
- Soy, a splash of sherry, just a drop of sesame oil with julienne of ginger, garlic, snow or sugar snap peas and cilantro.
- White wine or dry vermouth, tangerine or orange slices, fennel, red onion, chives or scallions
- Provencal style: Chopped (seeded, drained) tomatoes, olives, oregano, capers, garlic.
Serve it with cous cous or rice to soak up the wonderful aromatic juices produced in the cooking process.
- See Seafood Watch for excellent consumer information on sustainable seafood, healthy choices for you and for our oceans, provided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can even download your own pocket guide!
- See Mary Luz Mejia' s Sustainable Fish Choices article for Sustainable Fish substitutions.
- Try baking your fish "cout de sel, in a salt crust."
