Whenever I'm faced with having to make myself a quick meal that is light on my stomach (translation: husband is working and I have to eat early before heading to dragon boat practice) I often tap into the "fish in parchment" concept. It's colorful, flavorful, and I can digest it on my hour plus drive before I have to paddle.
I just made this yesterday and thought I'd share it with you all. I also did this as a video in April during one of my free Friday cooking demos. You can find it on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/FLkelskitchen
To begin, you must tap into your inner child and make a large paper heart out of parchment paper. Rub a bit of butter all over the inside of the heart. Then rummage through the fridge for what veggies you want to use and prep those. Cut them into manageable pieces and blanch or sauté them (you just want them partially cooked). Season a piece of fish with kosher salt and white pepper. You can get creative with other spices here if you'd like.
I almost always use a bed of blanched carrot, celery and baby potatoes. I did that here and then added fresh thyme and a sprinkle of salt. I placed my fish (flounder filet) on the bed and topped it with sliced cherry tomato, chopped scallions, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and about a tablespoon and a half of cubed butter. Usually I use white wine instead of lemon but I actually think the lemon was much more vibrant and will be my new standard. Feel free to use whatever vegetables, herbs, and fish you like. Just remember the fish will cook quickly so you need to partially cook the veggies first. Oh, and remember to place all of this on only one side of your heart.
Now that you have your meal all arranged on one side of the heart, it's time to fold the other half over the top and seal it all up inside. Starting at the top, crease and fold over the edge, move down a little and repeat a crease and fold which interlocks your first crease and fold. Continue until you reach the point of the heart and you will have a "tail" of paper extending past the edge which you simply fold underneath.
Place the packet on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until the fish is done. For my thin flounder filet that takes 12 minutes. To serve you simply cut a cross in the parchment, fold the paper back, and eat right out of the packet. I like to serve this with a small side salad and a buttered dinner roll. Yum! It's fancy enough for dinner guests and you can make the packets up ahead of time. Hope you give this simple nutritious meal a try. Stay well!