🐟 Seafood
Herb-roasted fish
A very tidy parchment-packet supper with lemony elegance
⏱️ Time estimate: about 25 minutes
Fish fillets get tucked into parchment hearts with olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, and green olives, then roast into their own bright little steam bath.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces parchment paper, 12 x 16 inches each
- 4 boneless skin-on fish fillets, 8 ounces each, such as snapper or cod
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons good olive oil
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8 Cerignola or other large green olives with pits
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Prep the oven and parchment. Heat the oven to 400°F. Fold each piece of parchment in half crosswise and cut it into a large paper-heart shape. Open them flat.
- Build the packets. Place each fillet lengthwise just to the right of the fold. On each piece of fish, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Top each with 2 sprigs of thyme and place 2 olives alongside.
- Seal the packets. Brush the edges of the parchment with egg white. Fold the left side over the right so the edges line up, then press to seal. Starting at the top of the heart, make overlapping folds all the way around to the tail end and tuck the last bit underneath.
- Bake. Transfer the packets to sheet pans, keeping the oil and lemon juice inside. Bake for 15 minutes exactly.
- Serve. Place each packet on a dinner plate, cut an X in the middle with scissors, and serve hot so everyone can tear open their own little steam cloud.
Make ahead: you can assemble the packets and refrigerate them for up to 1 day before baking.