Welcome to The Weekly’s foodie forum– a place we can share hints and tips about home cooking, ingredients, techniques and, of course, our fabulous recipes. We’d love your input and feedback, so please let us know what you’re cooking this week.
To kick off our first post many readers lament the fact that they love cooking fish for the family but usually overcook it and hate how it stinks out the whole house. This is a quick and easy way to cook fish, baked in paper!
En papillote is a popular French method of cooking fish. This basically means cooking in a sealed package. Cooking fish in individual parcels not only reduces the need for added fat, but also mingles and intensifies the flavours. Baking paper and foil are both suitable wrappings. Another bonus for this style of cooking is that you can prepare the pouches in advance and refrigerate up to six hours ahead.
The method is quite simple. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Place each fish fillet, skin side down, on a large piece of baking paper or oiled foil. Top each fillet with equal amounts of your chosen flavours. Fold the paper over and enclose the fish securely by pleating the edges together. Place the parcels on an oven tray and bake for about 10 minutes for a thick fillet such as salmon, or 5-7 minutes for a thin fillet such as whiting or bream. Impress family and friends by presenting them with their own parcel of fish. As they open the pouch, the intense aroma is released.
SEALING IN FLAVOUR
Once you have mastered this technique there will be no stopping you coming up with your favourite flavour combinations.
Thai – lemon grass, ginger, fresh chilli, palm sugar and fish sauce
French – butter, parsley, tarragon and a splash of white wine
Italian – garlic, basil, fresh tomato and olive oil
Chinese – green onion, ginger, soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil
TEST KITCHEN TIP: The health benefits of eating fish a couple of times per week are well documented – high in protein, low in fat and contain an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
When choosing fish some fish choices are better than others so go for sustainable varieties where possible. Varieties such as Australian salmon and barramundi, snapper, kingfish and mackerel get the ethical tick.
Looking for a great fish recipe? Try our herb crumbed fish fillets.
What do you want to know about cooking? Email us at: [email protected]
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