Halibut in parchment paper
How many of you eat fish twice a week as recommended? Not many hands! I think it’s because we think cooking fish at home is complicated and difficult. But the Omega 3 fats contained in fish are so crucial in keeping us healthy.
Cold water, fatty fish provides essential Omega 3’s. Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids because we can’t make them ourselves and in fact, the fish we eat don’t make Omega 3’s themselves either. They get it from what they eat too! So always choose wild caught fish when possible.
Omega 3’s benefit so many of our body systems but I want to emphasize their impact on brain health today. Omega 3’s promote brain health by reducing inflammation in the brain which is linked to anxiety and depression. Fish is good mood food!
This is my go to recipe for a fish dinner at home. It’s easy and virtually fool proof. It’s simple enough for a weeknight meal, but special enough for company. The fish is “baked” in parchment in the oven, but the packet causes it to actually steam, providing a tender and moist piece of fish. This works well with most fish filets. I love to cook salmon this way. You can use whatever dried or fresh aromatics you have on hand, and most vegetables. Just make sure the vegetables are julienned (as I did here) or finely chopped so they finish cooking within the 15 minutes it takes for the fish.
Note: if you don’t have parchment paper, or don’t feel like messing with it, foil works fine!
Julienne or finely chop your vegetables
Fold a 12×16 piece of parchment paper in half and cut like you’re making a valentine heart!
Place the vegetables close to the fold on the right side and top with fish and aromatics.
Fold the left side of the “heart” over the right and make overlapping folds and crimp along the cut edge, to form a packet and place on a baking sheet. It doesn’t have to be a perfectly airtight seal!
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Carefully open the paper, allowing the hot steam to escape, or you can serve it “en papillote” by cutting a cross in the top of the packet and letting diners open it themselves.
- 2 7-8 oz halibut filets
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only
- 1 stalk of celery
- 2 lemon slices
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- Olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 12x16 inch pieces of parchment paper or foil
- Preheat oven to 400
- Julienne or finely chop vegetables, toss with ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper
- Fold each piece of parchment in half and cut to make a large heart shape
- Open up the paper "heart" and place the seasoned julienne vegetables in a pile to the right of the fold
- Place the fish filet on top of the vegetables
- Season fish with ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste
- Top with 2 sprigs of thyme and one lemon slice
- Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil
- Place on a baking sheet in preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes
