20-Minute Meals: The No-Muss, No-Fuss Way to Cook Fish

20-Minute Meals: The No-Muss, No-Fuss Way to Cook Fish

20-Minute Meals: The No-Muss, No-Fuss Way to Cook Fish - Cooking fish or chicken in parchment paper packets is a technique known as "en papillote." The protein stays moist without any added fat, and the herbs and fish lend flavor to the vegetables.



Watch the no-mess, quick-cooking technique that will have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less.

Be sure to slice your vegetables thinly to ensure even cooking. We used peppers, mushrooms and leeks here, but you can choose your favorite vegetables. Thinly sliced peppers, asparagus, carrots, onions, zucchini and green beans are all good choices. Switch up the herbs and spices, too!

The best thing about this recipe: because everything is cooked in the parchment, cleanup is a breeze!

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 10
Number of Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 pound sole fillets (or another white fleshed fish), cut into 4-ounce portions
2 lemons, zested and cut in half

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a small bowl,
mix together the leeks, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
In another small bowl, mix together the
parsley and thyme.

2. Fold four sheets of 15" x 15" parchment paper
in half. Coat one half with nonstick cooking
spray and place on a baking sheet, uncoated
side down (if you have a griddle that fits across
two burners, you can use that in place of the
baking sheet). In the center of the sprayed side
of each piece of parchment, place 1 fish fillet,
one-quarter of the vegetables, lemon zest, and
herbs. Juice 1 lemon half over each mixture.
Fold over the left side of the parchment. Crimp
the edges to form a packet.

3. Place the baking sheet across two burners
on the stovetop and set to moderate heat.
Once the liquid inside each packet starts to
bubble, transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for
8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of
the fish. A general rule of thumb is 10 minutes
per inch of thickness.