This recipe is sponsored by Land O’Lakes If you are a seasoned cook or a newbie, if you bake fish regularly or if cooking fish scares the pants off of you, or (and this is key) if you think you don’t generally like fish, you are going to find something to love about today’s easy cooking method. Fish cooked en papillote (which is French for “in paper” and is pronounced ahn-pa-pee-yawt) means to bake fish inside of a pouch made of folded parchment paper. To make it, you lay the fish fillet in the center of a sheet of parchment, along with any vegetables and seasonings you like (this recipe uses a lemon garlic herb butter spread ♥), then fold the paper up and around the fish to form the pouch. (This Pan Fried Cod uses a similar lemon butter herb sauce on the stovetop.) As the fish bakes, it steams in its own juices and the flavorings you’ve added, resulting in incredibly tender, moist, and positively scrumptious fish. It’s similar to the method I use for my favorite Baked Salmon in Foil, and it is perfection. Even if you’ve never cooked fish, you can nail baked fish in parchment. In addition to its fancy French name, fish en papillote also feels extra special to eat. I love preparing fish this way for guests. Everyone gets his or her own little parchment present, and no matter how old you are, presents are fun. Plus, since you can assemble the packets hours in advance then hold them in the refrigerator, fish en papillote with vegetables is a great make-ahead dinner for entertaining and busy weeknights.
How to Make Baked Fish En Papillote
Think of this recipe as choose-your-own adventure in tasty fish cookery. You can vary the herbs, the vegetables, and even the fish. I have listed a few of my favorite suggestions for you here.
The Ingredients
Fish. Any firm-bodied, flaky fish works beautifully. For this recipe, I used cod, as it is widely available and affordable (it’s also delicious in this Grilled Cod recipe). Salmon, flounder, trout, and halibut are also wonderful fish to bake in paper. Cod can taste a bit, erm, fishy compared to other varieties so if you are newer to seafood, I’d suggest starting with flounder as it is very mild. Softened Butter with Canola Oil. For maximum ease, I use Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil. Made with three simple ingredients—sweet cream, canola oil, and salt—it delivers high-quality butter, but is instantly spreadable, so it’s ideal for making a fast, compound-style butters to spread on fish (and bread and vegetables and crackers). Garlic + Shallot + Herbs. Mix these right into the butter with canola oil. I used parsley, which we always seem to have lurking in the refrigerator. Thyme, basil, and tarragon taste delightful with seafood too. Lemon. Mix the zest with the butter, then slice the lemon and place the slices on top for max citrus bang. You also could try this recipe with oranges. Vegetables. Choose any quick cooking, tender vegetables. I used a handful of spinach and halved cherry tomatoes. Thinly sliced zucchini, finely chopped broccoli florets, trimmed asparagus, or a different tender salad green would all work well too.
The Directions
What to Serve with Fish En Papillote
Thanks to the protein and vegetables in each packet, this recipe is a wonderful all-in-one meal. If you’d like to round it out further, here are a few ideas of what you could serve with it:
Vegetables. Add even more vegetables to your meal with Easy Sautéed Zucchini with Parmesan. Rice. Make your meal more filling by serving your fish over a bed of Lemon Rice, Creamy Vegan Risotto with Asparagus and Quinoa, or cooked brown rice. Salad. Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing would be a delicious, fresh side dish.
More Fish En Papillote Combinations to Try
Mediterranean. Add a handful of pitted olives along with the cherry tomatoes; sprinkle with feta just before serving. Summer Celebration. Omit the spinach; use thyme or basil instead of parsley; add thinly sliced zucchini and/or yellow summer squash. Spinach Artichoke. Swap the tomatoes for quartered artichoke hearts.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
To Store. Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To Reheat. Gently reheat fish in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to revitalize the flavors. You can also rewarm the fish in the microwave. To Make Ahead. Prepare the parchment packets as directed up to 4 hours ahead, and store them in the refrigerator. Bake as directed. To Freeze. I don’t find that cooked fish freezes especially well, but if you’d like to experiment, you can store leftover fish in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Fancy doesn’t need to be fussy with this easy baked fish in parchment. I can’t wait to hear what you think, and which version of it you try! I am sharing this post in partnership with Land O’Lakes. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue to create quality content for you.
