If you’re looking for a healthy, impressive dish that requires little effort on a busy weeknight, try this Fennel and Cod en Papillote! It’s the prefect dish for a fun date night! Your date will never know it only took 20 minutes to make this tasty and healthy dish! The cod steams perfectly in the parchment while it infuses with the flavors of the citrus and fennel in the parcel. Pop open the parcel and you’ll be delighted with the beautiful smell and flavor of this 20 Minute Meal: Fennel and Cod en Papillote!
“En papillote”
“En papillote” is French for “in parchment”. It describes a method of cooking where you put raw ingredients in a parcel made of parchment paper and bake. The parcel allows the ingredients to steam and cook to perfection. The resulting dish is served in the parcel – guests will “pop” open the packet (carefully, watching for the steam), and be surprised at the delicious morsels inside!
I love cooking cod en papillote. This fish and vegetables are steamed, which is a healthier way of consuming meats. in addition to the health benefit, making this dish requires MINIMAL effort. Chop up the veggies, season the fish, arrange in the packet, crimp, and bake. DONE! How easy is that?
The “scariest” piece of cooking en papillote is making the packets. The easiest way to create the packet is to cut the parchment paper into a heart shaped piece. First, start by cutting a large rectangle of parchment. The size should be about 3 times the length of the fish filet. Fold the rectangle in half. Then cut into a half heart shape – kind of like you used to do in elementary school. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Then layer in the ingredients and crimp! Still not sure how to do it? Check out this video from Bon Appetit.
Serving the dish
The hardest part about making this dish is waiting the whole 15 minutes for the parcel to bake. In the mean time, I enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc which paired perfectly with this dish! I picked up a bottle of Tangent Paragon Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2014 at my local Whole Foods and loved how the light, refreshing flavor complemented the cod perfectly! When choosing a wine pairing for this dish, I would recommend looking for a light and crisp white wine the isn’t too dry. The fruity notes of the wine will work well with the citrus in this dish! After the parcel has baked for 15 minutes, serve immediately. Just put the parcel on a plate and allow it to impress your guests! To enjoy, CAREFULLY pierce the packet with a sharp knife. There will be hot steam coming out so be careful! Pull back the sides of the packet and enjoy!
Fennel and Cod en Papillote
If you’re looking for a healthy, impressive dish that requires little effort on a busy weeknight, try this Fennel and Cod en Papillote! It’s the prefect dish for a fun date night! Your date will never know it only took 20 minutes to make this tasty and healthy dish! The cod steams perfectly in the parchment while it infuses with the flavors of the citrus and fennel in the parcel. Pop open the parcel and you’ll be delighted with the beautiful smell and flavor of this 20 Minute Meal: Fennel and Cod en Papillote!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 1 medium bulb fennel
- 1 large orange
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cod filets
- 1 tbsp ground fennel powder
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and prep the vegetables. Wash the orange throughly, slice into rounds. Dice the red onion. Chop fennel into thin slices, discarding the core. Reserve a few fronds for garnish.
- Season the cod with salt, pepper, and fennel powder.
- Assemble the parcels by arranging the vegetables and orange slices on the parchment. Top with the seasoned cod. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, Finish with remaining vegetables.
- Crimp the sides of the parcel and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the parchment is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
