Whole Fish En Papillote

If like us, you are a big fan of fish and seafood dishes this is a great recipe to try. Similar to our fish marinade recipe. Pairing fish with classic flavours, allows the cooking method and delicious natural flavour of the fish to do all the hard work.

A great recipe for weekend entertaining, making a delicious centerpiece to wow your family and friends.

Ingredients

• Whole fish - see our note above regarding what types of fish work best. You can also use fillets for this method. You will need to scale, gut, clean and trim the fins of the fish, you can always ask your fish monger to so this for you.
• Fennel bulb - Fresh fennel is such a classic flavour pairing with fish.
• Lemon
• Red onion - milder and slightly sweet red onion adds a lighter note to the over all flavour.
• Fresh Italian parsley - as known as flat leaf parsley.
• White wine - we recommend using a sauvignon blanc.
• Salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil - select the best quality one you can afford.

Instructions

Prepare the fish - Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with a baking towel. With a sharp knife make four/ five evenly spaced cuts, cutting down to the spine, do this on both sides.

Pro tip - Making cuts into the flesh, helps the fish cook more evenly.

Create the base flavour - Use parchment or baking paper making sure it is two and a half times the length of the fish. Place the sliced fennel, parsley stalks, lemon and red onion on one half of the paper. If you have any left over lemon and fennel stalks stuff them in the belly of the fish and season with salt and pepper.

Envelop the fish in paper - Fold the parchment paper over the length of the fish. Then starting at a folded corner fold over the edge of the paper working your way around the whole piece creating a sealed envelope. Just before you fully seal the paper pour in the wine.

Cook the fish to perfection - Place on a baking tray and into a 180 °C / 356 °F preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cooked.

To serve - Place on a serving platter and make a cut down the middle of the paper to reveal the fish, drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve with our delicious salsa verde (recipe below) and a fresh salad, an orange and fennel salad would work well with this dish.

How long to cook a whole fish.

Measuring at the thickest part of the flesh, a whole fish should reach an internal temperature of 57 °C / 135°F with a instant read food thermometer. You can also check the flesh of the fish, using a sharp knife to gently pull the meat away from the spine. If it flakes away from the bone without resistance, it's cooked.

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Happy cooking!