Fish en Papillote (Fish in Parchment)

Say hello to your new favorite way to prepare white fish: Fish en Papillote, which translates to fish "in paper". Fish is paired with veggies and then coated in garlic, butter and herbs and cooked in parchment pouches for an easy and delicious dinner recipe.

Fish en Papillote sounds fancy, but it's really not. In fact, it's a recipe I've made a handful of times so far, which is always a good sign. Plus it's another recipe as part of my "vacation series".

Don't know what I'm talking about? I traveled to Europe earlier this summer, and a few recipes in particular caught my attention and I immediately knew I wanted to recreate them. So far, I've made this fattoush salad and these Turkish eggs, and this fish in parchment is the third recipe I adored. 

I ate this recipe at Clamato, and it was life-changing. The craziest part about it might be that it's so simple -- it wasn't an overly unique recipe, but the flavors together created, in my opinion, the perfect fish recipe. 

Recipe features

• The fish is cooked in parchment, along with vegetables of your choice. I used radishes and carrots, but zucchini and/or tomatoes would be delicious as well.
• The parchment packets, along with the butter, makes the fish extra flakey.
• Baked in the oven and ready in less than 30 minutes. 

Ingredients 

Fish - Any kind of white fish fillet will work. Think: cod, halibut, tilapia, etc. 

Vegetables - Most vegetables should work. This recipe uses carrots and radishes because that's what the dish I had on vacation used, but other good options are grape tomatoes, zucchini, lemon slices and/or olives.

Herbs - A combination of fresh dill and chives work well

Butter - Don't omit the butter! This is a buttery fish recipe and the butter is an absolute must.

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables. First, thinly slice the carrots and radishes. The thinner you slice them, the softer they'll become in the oven (which is what we want!).

Step 2: Make the herb butter. Similar to my baked salmon fillet, you'll want to create an herb butter to spread onto the fish. Add softened butter to a small bowl, then stir in the garlic and fresh herbs. 

Step 3: Assemble the packets. Tear a large piece of parchment paper and place it onto a rimmed baking sheet. Add half of the sliced veggies to the middle of the parchment paper. Then place a fish fillet on top of them and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt. Using the back of a spoon, spread half of the herb butter on top of the fish. 

Lift the long edges of the parchment up toward the fish until the edges are touching, then fold them in toward the fish, pinching tightly so it's sealed. Then, roll the shorter ends toward the fish but make sure the rolls are going down toward the baking sheet. When you reach the end, tuck the parchment underneath the fish. 

Repeat this process for the second parchment pouch. 

Step 4: Bake the fish. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the fish until it flakes easily and the veggies are soft. Top fish with more fresh herbs and enjoy! 

Tips and tricks

• You want the parchment packets to be sealed well; otherwise, the butter will seep out onto the baking sheet.
• Want to try different herbs? Fresh rosemary or parsley would be good as well.
• The actual recipe I ate on vacation used more butter, so if you're want to, you can drizzle a few extra tablespoons of melted butter over the fish once it's done baking.

Can this recipe be made with salmon instead? 

Yes! The recipe should be virtually the same with salmon, but as always, be sure to flake the fish with a fork to check for doneness. It should flake easily! 

What pairs well with fish en papillote? 

So many things! You could serve it with rice, quinoa, these honey roasted tomatoes, or my lemon orzo salad. 

More easy fish recipes

• Crispy Cod Sandwich
• Honey Soy Salmon
• Pan-Seared Salmon Burgers 

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!