Cod En Papillote

We had 9 ladies for lunch and cards on that very fun day!

I recently made this Cod baked in parchment paper for our weekly canasta group. The French culinary term Papillote (pronounced poppy-yote) translates from French to mean simply “in paper” or “in parchment”. We celebrate birthdays every month and this time it was my good friend, Bonnie Ungerecht’s turn! Everyone contributes and we have lunch before the cards begin.

I have never made Cod En Papillote. That was Bonnie’s request and I figured it was about time I made it. Incredibly easy to make. Why have I waited so long? Light, fresh and slightly scented with herbs and lemon. Bonnie makes this dish a lot so she gave me her recipe and I tweaked it up just a little bit. I will make this again and again!

I got the cod from my local Sprouts store requesting only the thick Captains Cut of cod; that’s the thick, premium center-cut portion, rather than the thinner portions down near the tail. When we lived in New England we ate a lot of Atlantic cod. This is Alaskan cod, which is equally sweet and delicious. Alaskan cod typically grows to about 24 to 36 inches in length and around 10-30 lbs. However they can reach up to 50 inches in length and weight as much as 50 lbs. That would be a fun one to catch!

Start by assembling the packets. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fold a 12×16 inch sheet of parchment paper in half, then open it up.

I bought this pre-cut parchment especially for this dish and as you can see it will most likely last the rest of my life! But really it made it so much easier than cutting 9 pieces of 12×16″ parchment.

Put a few drops of olive oil on the parchment paper and then lay the cod down right in the center over the fold. Generously salt and pepper the cod.

Top with a thinly sliced lemon, sprig of thyme, chopped lemon verbena and a few thinly sliced pieces of shallot. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and add one capful of dry white wine.

I used Josh pinot grigio, which is one of my favorites on a hot summer day.

A quick word on lemon verbena. I have never seen it for sale in the grocery store and I bought this plant at my local nursery, Patagonia Plants. It’s my new favorite herb.

Very citrusy with a focus on lemon, but also has a floral, subtle herbaceous flavor. More delicate than lemongrass or lemon balm so does not have that medicinal taste. It’s great with sweet or savory dishes and also excellent in beverages.

Next, fold and seal the paper around the fish. Wish I had a photo of this, but I was running out of time before the ladies arrived. Fold the top half of the parchment over the bottom half, then tightly roll up the edges around the cod. Repeat this process with each piece of cod.

Place the parchment paper packets on a baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cod. You want the fish to flake easily, be slightly opaque and glistening. I opened a packet to make sure they were done and am glad I did as they needed about 3 more minutes. Just re-seal the packet and continue baking.

Since we were such a big group, I decided to remove from the parchment to serve, but think it would be fun to serve in the paper.

Ideas for next time…a little finely grated garlic, thinly sliced orange in addition to the lemon, grape tomato halves, thinly sliced zucchini, thinly sliced green olives, capers, melted butter over the top instead of olive oil, different herbs: sage, oregano, basil. Or how about topping with a beautiful small shrimp to steam with the cod?

Possibilities are endless…!

I love to cook!

Thank you Bonnie

for suggesting this wonderful, special dish for your birthday celebration!

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Cod En Papillote

Light, fresh, easy to put together and totally delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 oz. Piece of cod per person; preferably Captains Cut
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 slice Lemon per piece of cod
• 1 small Shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig Thyme per piece of cod
• 1/2 tsp. Chopped lemon verbena per piece
• 1 capful Dry white wine per piece
• Olive oil both under and over the cod; about 1 tsp. total

Instructions

• Assemble the packets. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fold a 12x16 inch sheet of parchment paper in half, then open it up. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the center of the paper. Place the cod on top of the olive oil in the center of the paper. Generously season with salt and pepper.
• Add the toppings. Top the cod with 1 slice of lemon, a few slices of shallot, a sprig of thyme and about 1 tsp. of lemon verbena. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
• Fold and seal. Fold the top half of the parchment paper over the bottom half, then tightly roll up the edges around the cod. Repeat this process with all other pieces of cod.
• Bake. Place the parchment packages on a baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 14 to 18 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the cod. When done the cod should be opaque, glistening and flake easily with a fork.