Fish en papillote with spring vegetables

Baking en papillote (in a parcel) is a wonderful method of cooking fish. Contained by the paper, the flavours used will intensify and the fish gently steams without drying out.

Ingredients

4 (about 200g each) firm white fish fillets (such as trevally), skin on
100g butternut pumpkin, peeled, thinly sliced
4 pinches saffron threads
1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
120ml white wine
40g butter, quartered spring vegetables
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, halved lengthways
1 small leek, trimmed, halved crossways, quartered lengthways
4 baby capsicums, quartered, deseeded
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
4 baby zucchini, with flowers attached, pistils removed
SERVES: 4

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced. Cut eight 30cm squares of baking paper. Place 2 squares of paper each on 2 baking trays.
For the spring vegetables, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot, leek and capsicum and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and zucchini with flowers and cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Set aside.
Place the fish fillets on a plate or chopping board, flesh side up. Arrange the pumpkin slices, slightly overlapping, over the fish fillets to resemble scales.
Combine the saffron, lemon rind and juice, and wine in a jug. Set aside.
Divide the vegetables among the paper on the trays. Top with fish, pumpkin side up, and butter. Drizzle with the saffron mixture. Season with sea salt. Top with the remaining pieces of paper and fold up the sides to enclose the filling and contain the liquid.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. Serve the parcels as they are, or remove from the paper.