Fancy schmancy! Arctic Char is a wonderful, pink-fleshed and succulent fish similar to Atlantic salmon. En Papillote is a French method of cooking which means “in parchment”. En Papillote is simply enclosing ingredients inside of a parchment paper envelope and cooking it – but it looks and seems much fancier and impressive! The ingredients meld together in the parchment creating a moist (i hate that word) and tasty piece of fish. You can use this method for virtually any type of fish. Use James Beard’s math for figuring the amount of time to cook: 10 minutes for every 1″ of thickness plus 5 minutes for the parchment.
- 1-1 1/2 lbs. arctic char or salmon fillet
- 1 C. fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- 1/2 C. fresh parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 2 T. butter, cut into pieces
- 2 t. olive oil
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the fish into two large pieces. Lay out two large pieces of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. place 1 t. of oil in the center of each piece of parchment. Place the fish onto the oiled paper. Divide the fennel, leeks, and parsley equally among the two fillets, piling them on top of the fish. Dot each fillet with butter and season with salt and pepper. Fold up the parchment. crimping the edges tightly so that no steam can escape.
Bake for 15 minutes. Let the fish rest on the counter for a few minutes before opening the parchment and serving.
That looks fabulous!