Fish En Papillote (Fish in a Bag)

Fish En Papillote – fondly known as “Fish in a Bag” – is a classic French way of baking fish sealed in its own little parcel, where it gently steams and soaks up all the flavours tucked inside. Add a handful of garden vegetables and a splash of white wine that turns into a lovely light sauce, and you’ve got yourself a full dinner.

Fish En Papillote

En papillote is a classic French home cooking technique. “Papillote” means “enveloped in paper” and we do exactly that – wrapping food in paper so it steams in its own juices, cooking the food through gently and infusing with the flavours inside the parcel.

Today I’m sharing the fish version which is the most famous. This method of cooking is ideal for fish because it’s a delicate protein and takes on flavours it’s cooked with very well. I like to use both garden vegetables as well as potatoes to make it a satisfying meal, though I can never resist a bit of warm bread to mop up the juices.

You might have already spied that I use foil as well as paper! Though perhaps not considered strictly traditional, the foil makes it much easier to seal securely and ensure it doesn’t open up while in the oven.

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Ingredients In Fish En Papillote

I’ve used snapper today but you can use almost any firm white fish fillet. I’ve provided guidance below.

1. The fish

This recipe works best with white fish fillets around 1.5cm (0.6″) thick. Too thin and they’ll overcook before the vegetables are ready, too thick and the fillet won’t be wide enough to nicely cover the vegetables underneath. More of an aesthetic issue than a cooking one, but worth keeping in mind for how the parcel looks once it’s opened.

For me personally, I like to use snapper. It’s a firm favourite here in Australia, loved for its mild, sweet, delicate flavour. The flesh is moderately firm and because the fillets are flat with an even thickness, they cook through beautifully and evenly. See below for other suitable fishes.

Best fish for “Fish en Papillote”

• Australia: Barramundi, Blue eye cod / Trevalla, Basa, Bream, John Dory, Ocean perch, Orange roughy (Nagi’s favourite!).

• US: Above and below listed, plus Alaskan pollock, Tilapia, Mahi-mahi.

• UK: Above listed, plus Hake, Pollack, Sea bass, Turbot.

Salmon and ocean trout will work too, though it’s not the most aesthetic when steamed (in my personal opinion).

Fish to avoid

Avoid fish that are dry out quickly when cooked (swordfish, tuna, kingfish, marlin) and oily fish like sardines and mackerel.

2. everything else

1. Kipfler potato (fingerlings potato) – Finger-shaped gourmet potato (I buy mine at Harris Farms here in Sydney). They have a natural buttery texture and hold their shape beautifully once sliced and cooked. Regular baby potatoes work fine too if you can’t find kipflers.

   If you prefer to make yours low-carb, you can leave the potato out and use more vegetables instead.

2. Red capsicum / bell pepper – Adds a touch of sweetness and colour once it softens in the parcel. Yellow or orange capsicum work just as well if that’s what you’ve got.

3. Zucchini – Get a medium size one. It will soak up all that dill and wine flavour as it steams.

4. Red onion – Cut into wedges rather than slices it mellows out beautifully with the gentle steam cooking.

5. Dill – A common herb used for Fish En papillote. A few sprigs of fresh dill really elevates this otherwise simple dish as the flavour gently infuses through everything as it bakes. Fresh tarragon could also be used.

   I can’t think of another fresh herb that brings a similar thing into this dish (dried dill just won’t give you the same result.). So if you don’t have dill or tarragon, adding fresh shavings of fennel into the vegetables would be lovely to take the place of fresh herbs. Otherwise, my next best suggestion is to toast then grind 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds and sprinkle it over the assembled fish and vegetables just before sealing.

6. Garlic – Just a single clove, finely minced, enough to round out the vegetables without overpowering the delicate fish.

7. White wine – I like a chardonnay here, it’s what I’ve always reached for since my restaurant days. A cheap one will do, nothing fancy needed here. It infuses into that light sauce as it combines with the fish and vegetable juices. If you’d rather skip the alcohol, a non-alcoholic wine or a splash of low-sodium vegetable stock will do the job.

8. Extra virgin olive oil – Used both for sautéing the potatoes and drizzled over the fish before sealing the parcels.

9. Salt – Cooking salt / kosher salt (half for table salt, 50% extra for flakes).

10. Pepper – Regular black pepper.

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How To Make Fish En Papillote

While I know it is common to see recipes piling raw vegetables into the parcels, because I like to include potatoes in mine so it’s a complete meal, the potatoes need to be sautéed first to give them a head start.

And as mentioned earlier, again perhaps not what you’re used to seeing, using foil as well as paper makes the parcels more secure and easier to fold. However, in the video, I also show you the best way to make the parcels using just paper.

1. Sauté the potatoes – Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Use two wooden spoons, if you find it easier. You want them picking up a little golden colour but not going fully crisp, they’ll finish cooking inside the parcel.

2. Toss with vegetables – Add in the zucchini, capsicum, red onion, garlic, half the salt and pepper and toss everything together for about a minute. Then set it aside off the heat.

3. Building the parcels – Lay out two pieces of foil down first (50cm / 20″ long x 30cm / 12″ wide), then top with a piece of baking paper/parchment paper on each (40cm / 16″ x 30cm / 12″). Divide the vegetables evenly between the two, and mound them right in the centre of the paper.

4. Fish – Pat the snapper fillets completely dry with paper towel first, season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper, then lay one fillet on top of each mound of vegetables.

5. Add the aromatics – Top each fillet with 3 sprigs of dill, then drizzle the remaining olive oil over and pour a tablespoon of white wine over each parcel. That wine and oil mingling with the fish juices as it bakes is what creates a light, delicate sauce right there in the parcel.

6. Fold and seal (the video is helpful) – bring the short edges of the foil and paper together and fold over twice to seal that side. Press down gently along the fold to flatten it. Then, on one end, fold each corner in to form a triangle and fold it over twice more to lock the seal, and repeat on the other end, taking your time since a good seal is what traps the steam.

7. Bake and rest – Place the parcels on a tray and bake for 18 minutes at 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan-forced), you’ll notice them puff up slightly as they cook, that’s the steam building inside.

8. Rest – Take the parcels out and let them rest for 3 minutes before serving. This helps finish infusing the flavours into the fish and sauce. (Once cooked the core fish temperature should read at least 55°C / 130°F.)

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How To Serve Fish En Papillote

Place the parcels on a plate, still sealed. Let everyone open their own parcel at the table and enjoy the fresh smell of the dill and steam coming out of it – that’s half the fun! And it’s designed to be eaten straight out of the foil, don’t try to transfer it onto a plate.

A squeeze of lemon and a crusty bread is non negotiable for me, you need something to mop up that dill and wine sauce pooling in the bottom.

I hope you enjoy this one, it’s the kind of dish that makes a weeknight feel just a little bit special without asking much of you at all. I’m sure it will win you over! Bon appétit! – JB

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Watch How To Make It

Life Of Jaffle

Jaffle got to join me for lunch as I was tasting one of the final version of the dish, or at least, join me at the table. Onion and garlic mean this one’s a no-go for him so he had to settle for watching me while I enjoyed my fish en papillote outside.

To make it up to him, I took him out to the park for one of our walks, and honestly, judging by that face, a good walk might just be an even trade for missing out on lunch!