Recipe of the Week: Herb Crusted Fillet “En Papillote” with Vegetables and Citrus Reduction Sauce
Graced by year-round sunshine, sandy beaches, beautiful seascape settings and plenty of seashells to fulfill everyone desires, Sanibel provides the perfect winter escape for many snow birds. As the island welcomes back its winter residents, restaurants and stores began to fill and traffic starts to slow down, we find ourselves craving for a taste of the island and fresh seafood. Here is one of my favorite seafood recipes. Easy to prepare and simply delicious fish fillets steamed in parchment paper with vegetables and served with a tangy citrus sauce. It can be prepared in no time with little clean up, leaving you plenty of beach time. Enjoy! Serves eight. (Chef tip: To choose the freshest fish, look for moist fillets with vivid colors with a pleasant sea smell to them. Keep them well chilled on ice after purchasing.)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup green onion, trim and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, sliced and blanched
1 small yellow pepper, sliced and blanched
1 cup broccoli, florets only-blanched
8 fish fillets, rinsed and patted dry
Parchment paper cut into 8 heart-shaped pieces
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix together oregano, parsley, green onions and garlic. Place parchment hearts on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and turn oiled side up. Prepare the fish fillets. Season each one with salt and pepper on both sides and coat fillets with Dijon mustard and top with oregano, parsley, green onions and garlic mixture. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Top fish fillets with blanched vegetables, sprinkle with a little more salt.
Fold paper over fish and vegetables to form a package, crimp paper edges to seal the pouch. Bake papillote in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes depending on the fish fillets thickness or until fish reaches 145 degrees.
Remove from the oven and serve fish fillets and vegetables with citrus sauce.
Quick citrus sauce:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice and zest
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Place all ingredients in a processor and process until smooth. Place sauce in a heated saut pan and reduce by half.