Saturday, November 25, 2006

Tilapia en Papillote

Many years ago, on my first trip to Paris, I was shopping with my girlfriends on Champs-Élysées when we stumbled into one of the many trendy cafés. It was after 1pm, and the place was packed. I did not know if it was the joy of sitting down in a cozy chair after hours of walking, but we had a delightful meal, and our combined knowledge of the french language seemed to amuse our waitress. Maybe it's because we used 's'il vous plait' alot and she liked that. Anyway, I ordered a fish dish 'en papillote' and I devoured it! Since then, I have enjoyed cooking my white fish dressed with herbs and baked in a paper wrap. It keeps the fish very moist as it's steamed in the packet.
Ingredients
2 pieces of tilapia seasoned with salt and pepper
2 pieces of parchment paper, cut into a heart-shape
Julienned ginger
Juice of half a fresh Lemon
1 Tbs Butter, cut up
1 Garlic, minced
2 Scallions, sliced
1 Tbs light soy sauce (gives it a hint of smoky flavor)
1 Tsp Flat-leaved parsley
1 tsp Fresh Thyme
Splash of White wine

Heat the oven to 450. Place a layer of thinly sliced potatoes on the parchment. Add fish on top. Squeeze the lemon juice on the fish, follow by layering ginger, garlic, scallions, parsley, thyme, butter soy sauce, and a splash of white wine. Season with fresh ground pepper. Fold the parchment and seal all sides. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 mins depending on the thickness of fish. Serves 2.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love fish, baked, fried or poached, you have given a good idea with white fish too.....
thanks alot m

Anonymous said...

Tried you fish dish and it was good!