Cooking fish in individual foil packets, or en papillote, as they say in France, is a great way of sealing in all the flavors. The smell that hits you when you open them up is just phenomenal, so let everyone do their own at the table. Feel free to change the fish and aromatics, but make sure you include a little liquid so the fish steams. Serve with crushed new potatoes and zucchini ribbons.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 sea bass, 3 pounds in total (or use 4 small ones, about 10 ounces each), scaled and cleaned
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 small fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
- 3 Tbsp small capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 dill sprigs
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Olive oil
- ½ cup white wine
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper really well inside and out. Thinly slice the fennel and place, along with some fronds, inside the sea bass stomach cavity. Sprinkle in the capers and line the lemon slices on top of the fennel inside the cavity. Top with the dill and dot over the butter in small pieces.
- Drizzle the fish with a little olive oil and then wrap in foil. Pour the wine into the parcel just before you close up the last corner and make sure the parcel is well sealed, wrapping it in a second piece of foil if necessary.
- Place the parcel on a roasting sheet and bake in the oven—about 20 minutes for the 2 larger fish, or 8–10 minutes if using the smaller ones—until the fish is just cooked through with the flesh flaking away from the bone.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving (be careful of the hot steam when you unwrap the foil). Serve sprinkled with the reserved fennel.
