Recipes

WATCH | Dinner in the bag in just 20 minutes: how to make tasty fish parcels

Easy recipes for a trio of dishes made with frozen fish and cooked en papillote

11 June 2020 - 11:18 By Foodies of SA
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WATCH | How to make Mediterranean, sweet and sour and lemon and herb fish parcels

Cooking en papillote is the fancy French term for baking ingredients in a bag folded from parchment paper. The beauty of this method is that's easy, healthy and the protein you use, whether chicken or fish, stays beautifully moist.

Here we show you how to cook three delicious dishes using frozen hake straight from the freezer. No matter which recipe you choose, you'll have dinner in the bag in just 20 minutes:

Mediterranean fish parcel.
Mediterranean fish parcel.
Image: Foodies of SA/YouTube

MEDITERRANEAN FISH PARCELS

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

125g green beans, topped and tailed

1 red pepper, cored and sliced

2 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Sea Harvest Hake Fillets

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp torn basil

80g feta cheese

Lemon wedges, to garnish

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Fold two large sheets of baking paper in half.
  3. Open one of the folded sheets of baking paper and place half of the green beans and red pepper slices in the centre, close the fold, leaving sufficient space around the edges to fold the paper into a parcel later. See video.
  4. Drizzle ½ tbsp oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Lay a frozen hake fillet on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Repeat with the other piece of paper using the remaining fish, green beans and red pepper slices.
  7. Mix the cherry tomatoes with 1 tbsp oil and the basil and spoon over the fish on each piece of paper. Crumble over the feta.
  8. Create two parcels by folding the baking paper over the fish and vegetables, sealing the edges by folding the paper over itself. See video.
  9. Lay the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  10. Remove the parcels from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before carefully placing each on a plate. Tear open the parcel in the middle, being careful to allow the steam to escape. Squeeze over some fresh lemon juice and enjoy.
Sweet and sour fish parcel.
Sweet and sour fish parcel.
Image: Foodies of SA/YouTube

SWEET AND SOUR FISH PARCELS

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

100g sugar snap peas, ends sliced off at an angle

150g broccoli florets, sliced in half

Oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Sea Harvest Hake Fillets

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

Lime wedges

Fresh coriander, roughly torn, to serve

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Fold two large sheets of baking paper in half.
  3. Open one of the folded sheets of baking paper and place half of the sugar snap peas and broccoli florets in the centre, close the fold, leaving sufficient space around the edges to fold the paper into a parcel later. See video.
  4. Drizzle oil over vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Lay a frozen hake fillet on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Repeat with the other piece of paper using the remaining fish, sugar snap peas and broccoli florets.
  7. Combine the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, garlic and ginger together. Pour roughly 2 tbsp of the mixture over each hake fillet. Add a wedge of lime to each portion.
  8. Create two parcels by folding the baking paper over the fish and vegetables, sealing the edges by folding the paper over itself. See video.
  9. Lay the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  10. Remove the parcels from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before carefully placing each on a plate. Tear open the parcel in the middle, being careful to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle over some fresh coriander, squeeze over some lime juice and enjoy.
Lemon and herb fish parcel.
Lemon and herb fish parcel.
Image: Foodies of SA/YouTube

LEMON AND HERB FISH PARCELS 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 large potato, sliced into thin rounds

Salt and pepper, to taste

75g butter, softened

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus additional to serve

1 cup frozen peas

2 Sea Harvest Hake Fillets

1 lemon, sliced

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Fold 2 large sheets of baking paper in half.
  3. Open one of the folded sheets of baking paper and place half of the potato slices in a thin layer in the centre, close the fold, leaving sufficient space around the edges to fold the paper into a parcel later. See video. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Repeat with the other piece of paper and the remaining potato slices.
  5. Mix together the butter, garlic and chopped parsley. Dot knobs of this garlic butter (use only half the mixture) over the potato layer on each piece of paper.
  6. Lay a frozen hake fillet on top of the potatoes on each piece of paper. Divide the remaining garlic butter over the fish fillets and sprinkle half a cup of peas over each. Arrange 3 slices on top of each fish fillet. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Create two parcels by folding the baking paper over the fish and vegetables, sealing the edges by folding the paper over itself. See video.
  8. Lay the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  9. Remove the parcels from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before carefully placing each on a plate. Tear open the parcel in the middle, being careful to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley and enjoy.

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