- This Mediterranean Cod en Papillote
is a genius way to quickly achieve a simple, healthy
and super delicious dinner.
En papillote translates to "in parchment"
and it's a French cooking method
where you combine fish
and other veggies
into a cute little parchment paper packet,
and then steam it in the oven.
And while you can really do any fish en papillote,
you guys know I love a good cod recipe.
It's light fresh and presents beautifully.
So let me show you how to make this a winner
of a weeknight dinner.
To get started, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
and then slice about 20 cherry or grape tomatoes in half.
I add about five tomatoes
to each parchment paper packet, so 10 halves.
But there's no hard or fast rule on this.
You can always add more or less, or just eyeball it.
And if you've got some that are really small,
like these ones, you can keep them whole
and they'll blister as they cook.
Once you've got your tomatoes prepped,
just add them to a bowl and set them aside.
Next are olives,
and I'm again adding the equivalent
of about five olives to each packet.
Today I've got a mix
of kalamata olives and green castlevetrano olives,
but you can use your favorite variety.
Olives add a nice briny flavor
and if you guys wanna know the truth,
I actually didn't like olives until about a year or so ago.
I love olive oil, but never liked olives.
Ironically, after making my Greek sheet pan chicken recipe,
I became a fan.
And now I'm firmly in the Olive Lover camp.
It's funny how taste buds change over time
but as an alternative to olives,
you can always add a spoonful of capers if you prefer those.
If you watched me test this recipe on Instagram Stories,
you saw that I tried one version with the cod
on a bed of baby spinach
and another on a bed thinly sliced zucchini.
Either version works,
but I personally preferred the zucchini for this recipe.
So that's what we're going with today.
The key here is to slice the zucchini very thinly
because this doesn't cook in the oven very long
and you want it to soften up properly.
So once you've got one medium zucchini sliced up,
just transfer that to a plate or bowl and set it aside.
Fresh lemon gives that bright pop of flavor to fish
and while lemon is often squeezed right on top,
we're gonna add some lemon slices to the top
of the cod so that the juices can seep into the fish.
And the peel will also infuse flavor into the packet
while it's steaming.
You'll need about two to three lemon slices
per piece of cod,
depending on the size of your fish.
And once your lemons are sliced up,
you can set those aside.
And the last item you'll prep is one shallot,
which you'll thinly slice.
I also tested this recipe with red onion,
but again, I preferred the more subtle
and nuanced flavor of the shallot.
I also like
that the shallot imparts a slight garlicy flavor
but if you don't have a shallot,
you could certainly use thinly sliced red onion.
One of the things you'll realize
after making this recipe is just how darn versatile it is
and then you can have fun
with different flavor combinations in the future.
All right, onto the cod.
You'll need four six-ounce filets
and try to get them all about the same size.
I'm using wild Icelandic cod today
and I asked my fish monger to give me four center cut pieces
so that they were all about the same thickness,
which means that they'll cook evenly.
But you could definitely use frozen cod
in this recipe as well.
I know when I buy frozen cod from Costco or the supermarket,
it's a bit thinner than these pieces.
So if your cod is on the thinner side,
just note that you'll need to cook it
on the lower end of the time spectrum,
which I'll talk about more in a minute.
For this cod en papillote,
I'm using precut parchment
paper sheets that are such a time savings in the kitchen.
Since I discovered these years ago,
I have never bought rolled parchment paper ever again.
These fit baking sheets perfectly
and there's no funky tearing of the paper,
which always inadvertently happens, at least to me.
I'll link these below,
but once you've got your four pieces,
just fold them in half so you know where the center line is.
And now we can start piling them up.
Lay a handful of the zucchini slices in the middle
of one half of the parchment paper,
then lay a piece of cod on top.
Season the cod with salt and pepper
and then lay two to three slices of lemon on top.
Again, depending on the size of your fish.
Top that with a handful of thinly sliced shallot.
And then add a portion of the grape tomatoes and olives.
And you can try placing them on top,
but odds are they're gonna fall
off to the sides and that's totally fine.
As long as everything is sort of nestled around the cod,
you are still good to go.
Then add a sprig of fresh thyme
to infuse some of those Mediterranean flavors
and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now comes the folding part.
So fold the top half of the parchment paper over the fish
and then starting at the back folded part on one side,
crimp the sides of the parchment paper over.
You'll fold and crimp all the way around the fish
in a half moon shape until you reach the other side.
And my only tip here is to make sure
that the parchment paper is really folded
and crimped tightly so that the fish
can properly steam and moisture isn't let out.
So I usually go back over and really press
down on those edges to make sure that they're firmly folded.
Once that first parchment paper packet is done,
just push it to the side
and then repeat this process with the other three.
It's really so fast and easy,
and if you have counter space,
you could actually do each step
in more of an assembly line fashion.
Once all four packets are ready,
place them on a baking sheet
and then cook them for about
14 to 18 minutes,
depending on the thickness of your cod.
As I mentioned previously, if you're using frozen cod,
which is often thinner than my pieces today,
you'll likely need 14 to 15 minutes.
And given the extra thickness of my pieces today,
I'll cook them for about 17 minutes.
But your oven may be different.
This is such a crazy quick dinner recipe that's done
before you know it.
And to open up these packets,
just pierce them with a knife and then tear them open
or use kitchen shears.
If you're cooking for guests,
you can serve them already opened up
or set them on individual plates
and let everyone open their own.
It's kind of fun to let each person watch the steam
billow out as they open them up.
I love the vibrant colors in this recipe
and the aroma has those delicious lemony thyme notes.
There's also something special about the presentation
in the parchment paper that makes it feel
extra special and elegant.
And it's kind of funny
because the reality is, as you've just seen,
this is one of the simplest recipes on my website.
So if you want an easy, foolproof recipe
that's sure impress, this is the one.
The cod is light, flaky, moist
and always cooked to perfection.
And if you'd like,
you can serve it up with a variety of sides.
The lemon herb rice
from my cookbook would be an amazing option
or the sauteed cabbage from my website.
But today, I had some black lentils that I had
meal prepped earlier in the week sitting in my fridge,
so I just warmed up a portion of those.
Lentils add a bit more hardiness to the meal as well.
So if you've got extra hungry bellies,
those are always a great option.
After I add a portion of the lentils to a plate,
I'll top it with a piece of cod.
And pro tip here,
make sure you use a spatula so that you can get
under the fish to prevent it from falling apart
when you move it.
Make sure you get all the little bits
of veggies from the packet
because you don't want any of that flavor going to waste.
And then it's time to dig in.
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Share it with your family
and friends who love Mediterranean recipes,
and I will see you again in the next video.