February 27, 2015
We like to eat a variety of fish and prepare it about once per week. Most of the time Dave grills it – but occasionally we bake it in the oven in little foil packages. We learned this technique a few years ago when Michael caught so many Walleye in the early Spring and we needed a different way of cooking it than deep frying (really good, but not really good for you!). This is a very simple and easily adaptable recipe that’s good for a weeknight – but plenty delicious and pretty to present to guests.

The foil packets can be put on the grill – but last night when the temps were near zero the oven was the better option. After the fish is cooked, you can open the foil pouch and slide the fish and its wonderful sauce onto your plate.

vegetables and herbs to top the fish.

A fancier presentation of this would be to use parchment paper to make a packet – and serve the fish in the packet on your plate. You can cut or tear the parchment and eat right out of the opened pouch.

The process is really very simple. Begin with a fairly thin fish fillet. Last night we used tilapia that I bought frozen in individual vacuum sealed bags. I defrosted them in cold water for about 2 hours and they were ready to use. Snapper or Walleye are also good options for the packets. You can use cod – but it’s a little thicker and will take longer to bake. I like milder fish for this cooking method.

Tear enough sheets of foil that are about 2″ longer than your fish fillet and wide enough to double over the top. In the middle of each sheet of foil, rub about a teaspoon of butter covering a large enough section for the fish fillet to rest upon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or seasoning of your choice) – then top with very thinly sliced onion (I used shallots) and red or yellow peppers and herbs. Thinly sliced carrots are also very good to top. Last, place a thin slice of lemon over all.

 

 

 

Long section of foil rolled to seal. All that’s left is to seal the ends. Try to leave a good sized air pocket to help steam the fish.

Pull the long sides of the foil together and roll to seal, forming a triangular shape. Then roll the ends up to seal them. I often lift the middle up to be sure there is a nice space for the steam to form.

two finished pouches ready for the oven.

These fillets baked up beautifully in just under 15 minutes. If you have a thicker piece of fish, it may require 20 to 25 minutes. Be careful when opening the pouches as the steam can be very hot. There will always be liquid in the bottom – but it usually has great flavor and is worth pouring on top of the fish after you slide it out of the foil onto your plate.