En Papillote… Ooh Fancy!

En papillote (French for in parchment), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminium foil, may be used. The beauty of cooking like this is that it seals in the moisture and there’s added bit of theatre when you open the parcel on the plate and the steam escapes. Enjoy!

Chilli and Mushroom Fish Parcels
Prep and cook: 30 mins, serves 4

2 lemons
600 grams rockling fillets
100 grams button mushrooms
4 green spring onions
1 long red chillies
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame (or olive) oil
1.5 cups long grain rice
100 grams snow peas
2 tsp sesame seeds
4 large sheets of baking paper

First a little prep…

• thinly slice lemons
• cut extra lemon into wedges
• slice button mushrooms
• thinly slice spring onion diagonally
• thinly slice long red chilled diagonally
• wash and trim snow peas

Now let’s cook!

1. Divide the lemon slices down the centre of baking paper. Top with fish and mushrooms. Sprinkle with onions and chilli.
2. Combine sauce and oil in a small jug. Drizzle evenly over fish. Bring sides of baking paper up to meet in the centre. 3. Fold over a few times to seal. Foil in ends and tuck under parcels. Place on large oven tray.
3. Cook in a moderately hot oven (190C) for about 18 to 20 minutes
4. Use ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. Add both to a saucepan and bring to the boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, turn heat to low and cook for 14 minutes. Then stand covered for 5 minutes, fluff up with a fork.
5. Put snow peas on top of the rice (without mixing) for final 2 minutes of cooking. Remove before fluffing the rice.
6. Serve fish over rice with snow peas and extra lemon, cut into wedges. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!