By Matthew Lau
In this December 2018 edition of The Record Magazine, we celebrate great women of the Church. In the culinary world of inspirational females, one can look no further than Julia Child, a passionate chef recognised for bringing French cuisine to the American public. Fish baked in parchment paper is a foolproof and versatile recipe, the technique of which cooks the fillet ever so delicately. You can use cod steaks, salmon, monkfish, groper etc. If you don’t have spring onions, then substitute it with red onions. If you prefer Chinese flavours, then add ginger and soy sauce, and serve with rice. You can transform it into a Moroccan dish with the inclusion of couscous, chermoula, and preserved lemon. The possibilities are endless…
Serves: Four
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook in: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 4 snapper fillets (about 150g per portion), skinless and deboned
- 1 spring onion, julienne
- 1 red capsicum, julienne
- 1 carrot, julienne
- 100g button mushrooms, sliced
- 100g fresh spinach
- 1 x 400g cannellini beans
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 100ml white wine
- 40g garlic butter
- Fresh herbs to garnish (e.g. parsley, dill, coriander)
- Sides of your choice
- Step 4. Photo: Matthew Lau.
- Step 8. Photo: Matthew Lau.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°c.
- Cut four pieces of non-stick baking paper, roughly A3 in size.
- Mix the julienne vegetables, mushrooms, spinach, and cannellini beans in a bowl with enough extra virgin olive oil to moisten.
- Distribute the medley in the centre of each sheet, followed by the lemon slices, to act as a bed for the fish fillets to sit on.
- Season each side of the snapper with flaky sea salt and white pepper, and lay each fillet (its most attractive side up) on the lemon slices.
- Place 10g of garlic butter on top of each fillet, followed by a swig of white wine.
- Cut another four pieces of parchment paper and place over your prepared fish.
- Fold one corner in and continually crimp the edges tightly with your fingers to seal the package completely.
- Set the parcels on a baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.
- To serve, carefully transfer each package to a dinner plate, and simply cut the top of the parchment open.
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs and serve with your sides. I have used asparagus, baby new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and garlic prawns.