Trio of Fish en Papillote (Fish Cooked in Paper)

I tried many versions of wrapping fresh fish with a few simple flavorings inside parchment paper and baking them (or wrapping them in aluminum foil and grilling them) and offer our three favorites. We hope they’ll inspire you to create your own combinations. Each of these recipes serves a different number of people; they can easily be doubled or tripled for a party.

Serve any of these with the Asian Dipping Sauce (page 00), Orange Miso Sauce (page 00), or Garlic Aioli (page 00).

Asian-Style Cod with Ginger and Two Peppers

Parchment paper or aluminum foil

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 pound skinless cod fillet

4 tablespoons fresh ginger, cut into julienne slices

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, or light a charcoal, gas, or wood fire until red hot.

Cut four 12 by 12-inch pieces of parchment paper or 15-inch long pieces of aluminum foil. Fold each piece of parchment in half to crease, and then unfold the paper. Place one fourth of the peppers in the center of  the paper near the crease and top with the fish; sprinkle the top with the ginger, soy, and sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold one half of the parchment over the other along the crease you made before. Starting at one corner of the crease, fold the edge of parchment over in triangles (each fold should overlap the previous one), following a semi-circular route around the fish, smoothing out folds as you go and tucking the last fold under to seal the paper completely. You can also use a metal paper clip to attach the paper. Repeat the filling and folding with the remaining ingredients and parchment.

(If using foil, to seal the packets, simply pull the two sides up into the center, fold the foil over itself a couple of times to seal, being careful not to fold the foil so close that it touches the fish. Fold the sides of the foil shut tightly.)

To bake, place all 4 packets on a cookie or baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. To grill, place the foil packets directly on the grill rack, cover the grill, and cook for 10 minutes. The paper will puff up as the packets cook. For a fillet about 1-inch thick at the thickest part, cook 10 minutes, or 12 minutes for thicker fillets To serve, place a packet on each serving plate and, with a small, sharp knife, tear the packet open to expose the fish, being careful of the steam that will be released.

Serves 4