Fish en Papillote with Fresh Herbs and Lemon

Our favorite way to cook fish, this method essentially steams the fish in its parchment paper pouch with fragrant herbs, lemon juice, white wine and shallot butter.

Ingredients

For shallot butter:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 shallot, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
½ teaspoon finely ground lemon zest
salt and black pepper, to taste

For assembly:

1 350g filet of firm white fish such as cod or snapper
½ fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lemon, sliced
handful mixed fresh herbs, such as tarragon, dill, and parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
SERVES: 2

Method

For shallot butter, mash butter together with shallot, lemon, dill, salt and pepper until evenly incorporated. Shallot butter can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container or rolled up in plastic wrap for a few days until needed.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Prepare a large piece of parchment paper, it should be large enough to fold over your piece of fish with a generous 3-4 inches around the edges. If cooking multiple pieces of fish, use a separate piece of parchment for each one. Place parchment on a sheet pan and fold in half, then unfold with one side laid flat on the pan.
Arrange fennel and shallot slices in a layer in the center of one side of the parchment. Lay fish on top of vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Top with a few pats of shallot butter, slices of lemon, and sprigs of fresh herbs. If using a butterflied fish, place herbs inside of fish cavity.
Finally, drizzle with olive oil and a splash of white wine.
Fold over other half of parchment, then fold and pinch along edges to seal. You’ll end up with a semi-circle of parchment with crimped edges not unlike a big pot sticker.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through (time noted for a 20mm thick filet, adjust as necessary for thicker/thinner pieces of fish. To check doneness, poke an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the fish; it should read 65°C).
Carefully cut open packet, avoiding escaping steam, and serve.