Sea Bass In Parchment (en Papillote)

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If you like cooking food in a “new way” try cooking sea bass en Papillote. All ingredients are steamed in a parchment pouch.

What is en Papillote?

En Papillote is a French word meaning cooking food by method of steaming using parchment paper.

Who would have thought!

If you are anything like me, I usually use parchment paper for cooking on and not in!

This method of cooking has changed my world….for ever! I love it!

Cooking in Parchment

Foods most often cooked in parchment include any type of fish and/or vegetables.

Cooking in parchment is a healthy alternative to steaming foods on the stove-top. Plus, it’s fun to unwrap the parchment after cooking.

For this recipe I used a fresh sea bass filet with a medley of thinly sliced veggies parboiled, topped with seasonings, drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in an unbleached parchment baking paper.

Since it only takes about 15 minutes to cook the fish the vegetables may not cook fully cook until they are soft.

Note: Cooking raw vegetables in parchment with the fish may leave them with a bit of a crunch or al dente. If you prefer a softer veggie it is recommended to slice veggies thin, parboil for about 3 minutes and then add to the parchment pouch.

Vegetables can be placed in their own parchment pouch and cooked separately for a longer time if desired.

Prepare Parchment

When cooking fish and vegetables with parchment use a 9×13 size of parchment folded in half.

Open parchment and lay flat on sturdy surface. Place the fish just to the right or left of the fold. Add vegetables of choice, seasoning and olive oil or butter.

Brush edges of parchment with butter or olive oil.

Fold parchment over fish and veggies connecting edges.

Make Parchment Pouch

Starting at the center folded edge make a single fold to seal.

The goal is to make a tight sealed pouch so the ingredients inside are cooked by steaming.

Next, make another fold.

Work your way around folding edges over making a tight seal. When you get to the end make your final tight fold and tuck it under.

Place parchment pouch on a baking sheet.

Bake

Place sea bass and veggie pouches in a 400 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.

While baking if you have a tight seal the parchment will puff up and when removed from the oven it will deflate immediately as the pouch begins to cools off.

Unwrapping the Sea Bass in Parchment Pouch

This is the fun part! Unwrapping the parchment paper to see the final product is an exciting moment!

We all stood around as if we were looking for something we had never seen before.

Well, if you’ve never cooked in a parchment pouch before this “unwrapping” may be a new experience for you!

But, I find unwrapping any of my meals cooked in a parchment pouch exciting to open as if it were the very first time.

Use a wide base spatula and carefully transfer the pouch from the baking sheet to a serving plate.

Using a sharp knife or scissors cut a slit in the center top of the parchment.

Allow any steam to escape and gently tear apart to visualize your final product. A pretty exciting moment!

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING JETT’S RECIPE FOR MAKING BAKED SEA BASS IN PARCHMENT AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

Please come back and share your comments and tell my readers how you like this recipe.

Although I currently do not have any other recipes cooking in parchment at this time you may enjoy this other fish dish.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS RECIPE