How to make Red Snapper en Papillote (aka parchment paper)
I had a request from one of my friends to make Poisson en papillote aka fish cooked in a parchment paper. It’s been ages since I’ve cooked fish using this method and I’ve never made this type of dish for Lisa so I thought it would be fun to revive this healthy and delicious style of cooking in our home. Looking at the fish I had on hand I decided on Caribbean Red Snapper.
You can use other types of firm, fleshy light fish for this dish such as mahi-mahi, grouper and salmon. Flounder and tilapia would work but they’re so fragile I would recommend lightly stuffing the fillets and rolling them to cook using this method. You can also cook a whole fish using this method.
What do I need to make Red Snapper en Papillote?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Red Snapper en Papillote. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Think of your parchment paper as a blank canvas when building your Poisson en Papillote. There are so many different ingredients and fresh herbs you can use to make each dish unique every time you serve it. Of course, you’ll have your favorite flavors and that’s what I used for my Red Snapper en Papillote.
How do I make Red Snapper en Papillote?
I suggest following a few simple guidelines when painting your canvas (parchment) with flavors by layering the ingredients.
The first layer should be something stack-able. This will provide height and a little space for the steam to circulate throughout the dish.
- Try using napa cabbage, bok choy, bitter greens, lemongrass, mushrooms, fennel or other similar ingredients. You could also use rice, your favorite grain or couscous, just remember to have them almost completely cooked not raw.
The second layer is the fish. I like to season the fish well at this point starting with a little olive oil then a good amount of sea salt and black pepper. You could add any flavor of spice at this time as well.
The third layer should be aromatic ingredients and something for color.
- aromatics could include- garlic, olives, capers, ginger, scallions, shallots, fresh herbs or any ingredients you like that will hit you with a delightful fragrance when you crack open the parchment. They also add great flavors to the dish.
- something for color can be as easy as grape tomatoes, peppers, colored cauliflower, asparagus, and even fresh corn kernels.
My final layer is citrus slices.
- Lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit wedges instead of slices would work well as a topping
You can also place the citrus under the fish and use another topping for the grand presentation of your dish.
Chef Dennis Tip:
*Just a quick note do not use aluminum foil, wax paper or brown paper they are not the best materials for this type of dish. You can find parchment paper in the same area in your supermarket that has the foil and plastic wrap.
Then it’s time to fold your parchment closed.
What I learned:
- It’s better to place the fennel and sliced mushrooms on top of the broccoli rabe and under the snapper.
- Don’t add the fresh chopped parsley to the dish inside the packet, it will turn an ugly shade of green. Add to the experience and allow your guest to add it on top of the lemon after the open the packet.
- the Snapper needed a good amount of salt and pepper to be seasoned properly
All in all, this was a delicious dish and very healthy. Remember to think of this as a blank canvas and have fun with different ingredients.
If you like my Red Snapper recipe you might also like these delicious fish dishes.
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Pan Seared Halibut
- How to Poach Mahi-Mahi (or your favorite fish)
- Cajun Style Florida Snapper
- Swordfish Recipe
Red Snapper en Papillote
Ingredients
- parchment paper
- 1 cup broccoli rabe or your favorite bitter green
- ½ cup fennel -medium slice
- 2 6-8 ounce red snapper fillets or your favorite fish
- drizzle olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
- 2 tablespoons scallions – sliced
- 2 tablespoon julienne red peppers
- ¼ cup sliced mushrooms optional
- 2 leaves sprigs of fennel
- 4 slices lemon
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- preheat oven to 425 degrees
- remove skin from red snapper fillets
- place two sheets of parchment (approx. 12 x 15 inches) side by side to begin building your dish
- divide the broccoli rabe between the two sheets, placing it in the lower half of each sheet ( so you have room to fold the parchment over)
- place sliced fennel on top of the broccoli rabe, then place the red snapper fillet on top of both. This will give you some room under the fish for the steam to circulate.
- Season the fish with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt and black pepper. ( you can add other spices at this time as well)
- Begin adding the aromatics on top of the snapper. Sliced garlic, olives, capers, scallions, red pepper and fennel leaves (this would be a good time to add any other fresh herbs that you like)
- top with the lemon wedges
- Fold over the parchment and begin by folding in the edge closest to you in small folds at least two times. Make creases in the folds to help them stay closed.
- Start closing in the ends by folding as you would a present with two triangular folds going into the packet and then begin folding in small folds in until you get close to the fish. Repeat this process on the other side.
- Do not pierce the parchment, you do not want the steam to vent!
- Place the packets on a cookie sheet and place into the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes. The fish will cook quickly and the time will depend upon the thickness of the fish you use.
- Serve the packet on top of the plate and allow your guest to open it and take in the lovely fragrances. Let them add a sprinkle of chopped parsley so they can fully enjoy the dish, explaining how people eat with their eyes and the garnish adds to the experience.
- Serve with your favorite sides.
Jane says
Made this for supper for first time and will become a staple at my dinner party table – I used Asian inspired flavours garlic ginger coriander mild chilli so as not to detract from fish on top of bok choy and red collard.
My man is really a meat guy but he loved it we both did. Will definitely try with different flavour mixes. Folding was like wrapping a gift so not complex at all.
Thanks chef Dennis for all the handy hints too. Useful info.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for the great review Jane! I’m really happy to hear you experimented with the flavors, now you can have fun experimenting with different types of fish and seasonings!
Glenda Chacon says
Hi, I absolutely love snapper! I’m curious to try though. I will have to try this out. This receipt will add more diverse to my daily meal. Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley says
it really isn’t difficult Glenda and works well with a lot of different fish. Let me know how it works out for you
Becca Wilson says
This looks like it would taste so amazing. I absolutely love snapper!
Flossie McCowald says
You have me intrigued to try this again sometime. I’ve cooked fish packet recipes once or twice for my family, but they’ve always thought it all tastes too bland/ Maybe with your tips I’ll do better!
David Elliott says
I will have to try this out, with the added issue of making sure to put those mushrooms on the bottom. I know I have seen people cooking fish in parchment paper. I just haven’t done it myself. I’m curious to try though.
hieu says
I live near the sea. This receipt will add more diverse to my daily meal. Thank you!
Pearl says
I usually struggle with cooking seafood. You recipe gives me hope, lol. It does not look intimidating with fancy ingredients I have never hear of, the ingredients are easy and the dish looks delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Pearl! I try to keep most of my recipes easy to prepare. I hope you find more of seafood dishes to try
Holly says
Yummy! This looks perfect. I am hungry just reading your post! Definitely going to make this recipe!
Tonya Tardiff says
Wow this looks amazing. I don’t eat enough white fish so I will have to try this! Love all of the seasoning you used as well.
Angela Tolsma says
I love that you wrote out how to stack it in the paper that’s always something I’ve thought about but never done. This sounds delicious and you gave so many options!
Stephanie says
I’ve been trying to expand on my very few fish recipes and this sounds delicious! I’ve used aluminum foil to cook in but never parchment paper.
Liz Kaas says
Cooked red snapper today based on this recipe. Was fabulous! Used maldon salt, scallions, roasted garlic, capers, lemon slices, and Hawaiian salt called Hot Lava. The cook time of 15 minutes was perfect. Have now marked your site as a favorite.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank so much for the great review Liz and I’m glad you changed things up to make the recipe your own. It does sound delicious!
Mary Frances says
Hey Dennis! Thank you very much for sharing such a delicious recipe. The video was very helpful and I can’t wait to try it out!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I hope you enjoy using the recipe Mary Frances, thanks so much for stopping by!
Larry says
Wow Dennis, this looks fantastic and will go on the try list. My memory isn’t what it used to be, but do I recall you posting some time ago that you really didn’t care for seafood except shrimp. If so you’ve made a major shift to the good stuff and I’m loving the resulting posts. If not just chalk it up to my old memory 🙂
Chef Dennis Littley says
Hi Larry!
You’re absolutely right I was never a big fan of fish. When I lost 45 pounds last April I started eating a lot more fish, and guess what? I started to really enjoy the flavors! Sorry if I’ve been overloading the fish, but I will be working with some Wild Boar and Bison in the upcoming months.
Larry says
not overloading for me – I’m always looking for more ways to prepare fish – I’m a lover.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Larry!
Kim | a little lunch says
Thanks for your many flavoring suggestions and tips, Dennis! I was going to print your recipe and ended up printing off your whole post for handy future reference. 🙂
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks Kim and happy to hear you liked my recipe ideas!