Fish in Parchment

Growing up, we frequently had fish in foil or parchment paper that was cooked in the oven or on the grill. In the little packets were the fish of the day, zucchini, onions, lemon, and anything else we had on hand. Recently I decided to play around with the flavors more to suit our cravings and this version was a huge success (says Andy!). This particular combination is Asian-inspired, but you can put almost anything in the packets with the fish and follow the same technique. The two major perks to this dish are 1) just throw away the paper for easy clean up and 2) it is a complete dish with protein, sides, and sauce all in one convenient packet! Have fun with it and experiment... enjoy :o)

Fish in Parchment

Makes 2 entree servings

Ingredients

1/2 - 3/4 lb. white, mild fish such as cod, hake, haddock, flounder, etc

1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and beans cut in half

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

1 small red potato, sliced thin

1 small shallot, peeled and sliced into thin rings

1 clove garlic, sliced paper thin

Sauce

1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp. hoisin

1 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tbsp. agave or honey

1 tsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

5 drops sriracha sauce

Materials: 2 pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil, about 18 inches long.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir all sauce ingredients together and set aside. 

Assemble the packets: lay out both pieces of foil or parchment side by side on a flat surface. Layer half of the potatoes, shallot, garlic, beans, mushrooms and fish in the center of each paper. 

 Spoon half of the sauce over each packet.

Fold the packets by pulling up the long sides to each other and rolling down to the top of the fish, then tightly roll/pinch each side towards the fish as well to make a sealed packet. Make sure the packet is sealed well so the fish steams (staple shut if necessary).

 Put the packets on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes (10 minutes for thin fish like flounder, 20 minutes for 1+ inch thick fish like cod or hake - adjust the cook time depending on the thickness of the fish you are using). You can also cook them on the grill, but I would recommend using only foil, and I think cooking time would vary by the grill, but it should work just fine.

Allow the packets to cool enough to handle, then rip them open and pour the whole packet out into a shallow or bowl - you will have more liquid than you started with so make sure your plate/bowl is deep enough. Yum! :o)