Cooking food en papillote is a French method where you make a little paper pouch around some food and bake it in the oven. It steams and marinates itself and keeps all the moisture in so it is a very clean way of cooking that does not require much oil or flavoring. Here I kept it simple with some light French flavors- fresh thyme, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and olive oil then added in a base of potatoes and green beans. This method works for any type of fish but I particularly like halibut because it takes on other flavors well and has a nice buttery texture that is really accentuated by this cooking process. A couple other benefits to cooking en papillote are that the fish smell is way more contained so your home will not smell fishy and that it is really easy to clean up. It is best to use thinner fillets and thinly sliced vegetables so that it all cooks quickly. If you have thicker fillets it is better to cook them for a few extra minutes to be safe, since the paper pouch retains moisture the fish will not dry out so it is not as easy to overcook as regular baking.
Stack the pouch filling in the middle on one side of the center fold.
Fold the empty half over top and fold in one side two or three times until it is close to the fillings.
Keep making folds all the way over to the other side, bit by bit.
Voila- a compact pouch ready for baking.
After baking be very careful when opening the parchment, make a little slit in the paper with a knife or scissors and let some steam escape then carefully pull back the paper enough to get at the food inside.
- 1 halibut fillet, around 4 ounces or the size of your palm
- ½ cup thin green beans
- ½ cup new or fingerling potatoes, sliced thinly (around ⅛ inch thickness)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (or white wine)
- 1 teaspoon cold-pressed olive oil
- 4-8 sprigs of fresh thyme (depending on preference, I used 8 because I really like thyme)
- Sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- This recipe is just for one serving to keep it clear and easy to multiply but it is a good option for entertaining because the parcels can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for a few hours until guests arrive then baked fresh with little effort and very little clean up time.
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Take a large piece of parchment paper, fold it in half and cut from end to end making a semi-circle, when you unfold the paper it will be an even circle. Place the green beans then potatoes closely together on one side of the fold, in the middle. Add on half of the thyme then the halibut and spread the dijon over the halibut. Add on the rest of the thyme and then evenly sprinkle the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper over top. Seal in the edge by making tiny folds in the paper just outside the edge of the fish and vegetables then place it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. If the halibut fillet is quite thick cook it for an extra 2-3 minutes. Serve on a plate and be careful when opening the paper because lots of steam will come out. Remove the thyme stems as eating, some of the leaves will come off but the stick parts are too fibrous to enjoy.
