FISH BAKED IN PARCHMENT

Serves 4

My favorite foods cooked in this method are shellfish and whole fish, and both are equally easy to produce. It’s a lovely dish and a lovely presentation. It seems harder than it is, so don’t be scared off simply by the idea of it. The method is called al cartoccio in Italian and en papillote in French and it performs the task of steaming the contents quickly while at the same time creating a sauce from the juices natural released inside the envelope. The sauce is scented by the vegetables and spices you add to the packet, and there are many directions to go in.

The dish is all in the folding of the envelope. Now, there are good cheats and bad cheats – this is a good one. Instead of parchment you can use a sheet of silver foil to create the envelope. The result is more-or-less the same though it’s considerably less elegant. I say give the parchment a shot!

1 whole fish, head and tail on, innards removed
2 shallots, diced
4 small cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons crushed canned tomato
4 thyme stems
Pinch of saffron
1 strip lemon zest, julienned
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 12 cubes
Sea salt
Black peppercorns, crushed
4 ounces white wine

Cut 4 sheets of parchment paper in half and fold each one in half. Open the sheet and sprinkle shallot, garlic, and tomato on one half of each piece. Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper and distribute lemon zest inside fish’s cavity. Lay fish on the vegetables. Place butter around the fish and give it a splash with wine. Fold top layer over to line up with the bottom half. Starting at the right-hand corner of the paper, fold paper along its edge by making overlapping ½ -inch folds to form a half moon of parchment. Twist the end to close tightly. Lay packets on a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes. Envelope will puff and lightly color. Transfer to individual warm plates and deliver to each guest to cut open packet with a sharp knife. Inhale the wonderful smells that waft up from the packet and use a spoon to slurp the sauce at end.

Fish in cartoccio