Baked Cod en Papillote with Steamed Vegetables

Now, depending on where you are in the world, Mother’s Day would have either just passed, or is still happening around you.  Here’s a meal that will make Mommy very proud, since it’s so delicious you’ll be eating all your vegetables.

Baking fish “en papillote” is a classic technique of steaming fish in its own juices and is a guaranteed way to succulent tender morsels, every time.  The steaming process creates aromatic clouds that puff up the paper parchment and infuses flavour into the meat.  Any fragrant accompaniment will be steamed alongside the fish and thoroughly perfume the entire bundle.  I love this method as it’s quick and simple yet so effortlessly elegant.

With this method, a beautifully vibrant and nutritious meal can be made in just 20 minutes!

What you’ll need:

• Parchment paper
• cod fillets (depending on number of servings desired)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 zucchini
• a handful of parsley
• 2 tbls sweet soy sauce
• small cubes of butter
• salt & pepper

Firstly, pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Remember arts and craft hour in pre-school?  Channel all that artistic energy into cutting hearts out of the parchment paper (and you thought those crafty skills would never come in handy!).

Drizzle the gooey sweet soy sauce over each fish slice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now, while the fish fillets are soaking up that sweet soy marinade, assemble your bouquet of vegetables.

Here’s another pre-school skill being tested – stacking blocks.  Stack the sliced vegetables on top of the fish fillet.  I like to use the slices of zucchini as the foundation for this delicious tower.  Crown with a dollop of creamy butter and parsley.

Here’s the slightly tricky bit – fold the parchment hearts in half and tuck in the edges in overlapping folds.  Twist to close the “bag” at the tip of the heart.

Tuck these little bundles into the oven for 18-20 minutes.

What to do with the leftover vegetables?  Might as well bake that as a side dish alongside the fish bundles.

After 18-20 minutes, the steam would have puffed up each little bundle and thoroughly infused each fillet with the perfume of the vegetables.

Be careful when you unwrap this bundle, as the steam is very hot!

Voila!  Plate and serve!  Drizzle some of that excess buttery fish sauce over this elegant tower.  Elegant, visually enticing, unbelievably satisfying yet so incredibly good for you.  Everyone should eat like this every day!

Bon Appetit!