NEW NutritionConfidence recipe: Fish en Papillote

Chat Leave a comment

“Many people do not know how to cook fish or dislike making their entire kitchen smell like fish. Cooking fish en papillote (in a baking paper parcel) is an easy way around both these issues”, says Nathalie Mat, registered dietitian and creator of our latest NutritionConfidence recipe.

The fish used in this recipe is hake, a fish on the SASSI green list. You are welcome to use any other fish in the recipe. Choosing a SASSI green listed fish will ensure that your heart-healthy dish is also one that is healthier for the planet.

If you have “vegetable resistant” children, get them involved in packing their own parcels. They can choose more of the vegetable they prefer and limit the ones that they do not like. Involving children in cooking improves familiarity with foods and increases the likelihood that these foods will be eaten.

Ingredients per parcel

½ a yellow pepper

2 baby marrows

150-200 g hake fillet

1 slice of lemon

Black pepper to taste

Herbed dressing

30 g fresh parsley

10 g fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp capers

4 tbsp olive oil

Juice of ½ – 1 lemon (to taste)

Black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200˚C
  2. Fold baking paper to make a large square and then cut the folded paper like you did in school to make a rounded heart shape. Cutting a shape like this increases the amount of food you can easily seal into the parcel.
  3. Chop the pepper into batons; trim and quarter the marrows.
  4. The vegetables will form a bed on which we will place the fish. Open the baking paper and near the centre fold, make a layer of peppers. Top with a layer of marrows. Finally, place the fish on the marrows.
  5. Season the fish and place the lemon slice on top of the fish. To close the parcel, close the heart shape. With the edges lying together, start at the top of the heart, making small overlapping folds the whole way around to the bottom of the heart. Be sure to fold the bottom of the heart securely so that the parcel does not open in the oven.
  6. Place the parcel in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If the hake fillet is 2cm or thicker leave it in the oven closer to 20 minutes. If you have a thinner fillet the fish will be ready after 15 minutes. If you are not sure, this steaming method is a gentle way of cooking fish, leaving it up to 20 minutes should not be a problem. With practice, you will become more confident with this way of cooking.
  7. For the herbed dressing: put all the ingredients (start with the juice of ½ a lemon) and blend until nearly smooth. Check for acidity, add more lemon juice if needed and season to taste. Blend one last time.
  8. Serve by letting everyone empty their parcels onto their plates. Top the fish with 2-3 teaspoons of herbed dressing. This dish is delicious served with boiled baby potatoes or herbed whole-wheat couscous and a green salad.

The herbed dressing is delicious dotted onto the fish before cooking but it does lose its vibrant green colour when cooked.

 

Nutritional information per parcel (175g fish) with 3 teaspoons herbed dressing:

Energy: 1308 kJ; Protein: 37.2 g; Carbohydrates: 6.9 g; Fat: 14.1 g; Sodium: 268 g