Fish en Papillote (Cod in Parchment Paper) with Veggies and Garlic Herb Butter

Name: Fish en Papillote (Cod in Parchment Paper) with Veggies and Garlic Herb Butter
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs. cod; 4 tablespoons butter; salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs; 1 clove garlic; 1 lemon; 12 whole sun-dried tomatoes; 2 small zucchini and/or summer squash; 1 cup roughly sliced scallions; 1 cup corn kernels; 2 tablespoons capers

User Reviews

5.0

18 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings
4 servings
Calories
317 kcal
Cuisine
French

Fish en Papillote (Cod in Parchment Paper) with Veggies and Garlic Herb Butter

Jacqueline Bell

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This recipe for Fish en Papillote could not be easier! The cod (or another fish), which has a tendency to dry out easily since it's so lean, cooks to the perfect flaky, moist texture from all the steam trapped inside the parchment packet. It's cooked along with summer squash and zucchini, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and a garlic herb butter, for a whole meal baked at once! And the clean-up is a breeze - just eat directly out of the parchment paper and toss when you're done eating.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ lbs. cod cut into four, 6-oz filets of similar thickness (or another kind of fish- see notes)
4 tablespoons butter melted (plus more, optional, for assembling parchment packets - see notes)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs I used thyme and chives, but other herbs like basil, dill, cilantro, oregano, etc. will work.
1 clove garlic minced
1 lemon zested and cut into 8 slices
12 whole sun-dried tomatoes sliced in half (see notes)
2 small zucchini and/or summer squash cut into 20 total slices
1 cup roughly sliced scallions cut into about ½-inch pieces
1 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen/defrosted
2 tablespoons capers or chopped olives

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Instructions

Prep everything

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prep all ingredients before beginning for easy assembly. Season the 1 ½ lbs. cod (cut into four similar sized pieces) on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside. To make the garlic herb butter, place the 4 tablespoons butter, the 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, the 1 clove garlic (minced), and the zest of the 1 lemon in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Melt everything together in the microwave for about 1 minute.

Assemble your parchment packets

Place a piece of parchment paper approximately 12 inches x 16 inches on the counter in front of you. OPTIONAL: brush melted butter around the border of the parchment paper on both sides (see notes).
Option #1: Fold in half, arrange ingredients on the bottom half. Fold top over, and crimp the edges around, tucking the last bit underneath. Place on baking sheet.
Option #2: Place ingredients in center of parchment, bring top and bottom edges together, fold together about 1-inch, and continue rolling and folding down until you reach the ingredients. Tuck ends underneath and place on baking sheet.
To arrange your ingredients: Evenly divide the 12 whole sun-dried tomatoes, the 2 small zucchini and/or summer squash slices, the 1 cup roughly sliced scallionsand the 1 cup corn kernels on each of the four pieces of parchment. Top with the 2 tablespoons capers, spoon the melted garlic herb butter mixture on top, and place 2 slices of lemon on top of each.

Bake and enjoy!

Bake the wrapped parchment packets at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until cod is fully cooked (see notes). Place packed on a plate and use scissors to cut open or unfold manually, being careful of escaping hot steam. Serve directly out of the parchment packets on the plate and enjoy!

Equipments used:

Notes

Using butter, oil, or egg wash to seal the parchment paper is more important if you use the Option #1 wrapping technique where you fold in half and work around the edges to seal. It helps the parchment stick to itself (a difficult feat for a nonstick material!) to create a tight seal, which ensures the steam stays inside the parchment packet. If using the the Option #2 folding technique where you roll the edges down and tuck the ends under, it's not as important, since the weight of the ingredients helps anchor down the parchment to keep a tight seal.
DRY sun-dried tomatoes are best here. The ones you find in the bag, rather than oil-packed. This is because they will rehydrate as everything cooks from the juices released from the veggies and fish. However, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes will work just fine if you don't have the other kind!
I recommend serving this with bread,or something else to mop up the delicious sauce created at the bottom of the parchment packets!
Feel free to experiment with different flavor and ingredient combos! Other quick cooking veggies, like broccoli, peppers, fresh tomatoes, spinach or kale, etc. will work great. Leftover cooked rice would be a delicious addition, if you have some. Use other herbs or spices. However, veggies that take a while to cook, such as potatoes or thickly sliced carrots or other root veggies, won't work well here. If you want to use these, just pre-cook them first (or use leftover roasted potatoes or carrots!).
Another kind of fish can be used. Cod is a lean whitefish, and this recipe lends itself well to other kinds of lean or delicate fish, since the fish is cooked gently, and stays completely still and secure in the parchment packet while it steams and cooks. The steam keeps everything moist, so even a lean fish won't dry out much. Halibut, sole, snapper, sea bass, and haddock are examples of these kinds of fish. But salmon or other fish will also work. Shrimp may also be used.
Using butter, oil, or egg wash to seal the parchment paper is more important if you use the Option #1 wrapping technique where you fold in half and work around the edges to seal. It helps the parchment stick to itself (a difficult feat for a nonstick material!) to create a tight seal, which ensures the steam stays inside the parchment packet. If using the the Option #2 folding technique where you roll the edges down and tuck the ends under, it's not as important, since the weight of the ingredients helps anchor down the parchment to keep a tight seal.
DRY sun-dried tomatoes are best here. The ones you find in the bag, rather than oil-packed. This is because they will rehydrate as everything cooks from the juices released from the veggies and fish. However, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes will work just fine if you don't have the other kind!
I recommend serving this with bread,or something else to mop up the delicious sauce created at the bottom of the parchment packets!
Feel free to experiment with different flavor and ingredient combos! Other quick cooking veggies, like broccoli, peppers, fresh tomatoes, spinach or kale, etc. will work great. Leftover cooked rice would be a delicious addition, if you have some. Use other herbs or spices. However, veggies that take a while to cook, such as potatoes or thickly sliced carrots or other root veggies, won't work well here. If you want to use these, just pre-cook them first (or use leftover roasted potatoes or carrots!).
The fish is cooked when it easily flakes apart with a fork. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, but many chefs and cooks aim for 130-140 degrees to prevent an overcooked taste. You can choose what you prefer based on your comfort level with risk, like choosing medium-rare steak or tuna. To read the temperature while it's in a parchment packet, you can poke an instant-read thermometer (I love Thermoworks Thermapen for this!) right through the parchment and into the fish if you want. A little steam will escape but it will be minimal. Luckily, even if you cook the fish to a higher temperature, the texture will still be moist and flaky with this cooking method! We accidentally cooked ours to about 155 degrees and it still tasted amazing. This is one of the reasons why this cooking method is so wonderful!

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1packet Calories 317kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 34g (68%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 103mg (34%) Sodium 396mg (17%) Potassium 1334mg (38%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 961IU (19%) Vitamin C 42mg (47%) Calcium 82mg (8%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 317 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	1packet
Calories	317kcal	16%
Carbohydrates	17g	6%
Protein	34g	68%
Fat	14g	22%
Saturated Fat	8g	40%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	3g	15%
Trans Fat	0.5g	25%
Cholesterol	103mg	34%
Sodium	396mg	17%
Potassium	1334mg	28%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	8g	16%
Vitamin A	961IU	19%
Vitamin C	42mg	47%
Calcium	82mg	8%
Iron	2mg	11%