Plaice en papillote is a real favourite of mine. En papillote loosely translated means 'in paper' and there can't be many better ways to cook fish.
This beauty of cooking 'en papillote' is that all the juices & flavours are captured during the cooking and they all combine to make a wonderful sauce for the dish.
Plaice en papillote recipe: -
Prep time: 8 minutes - Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 1
1 10oz(300g) plaice fillet, skinned and boned ½ of a fennel bulb, sliced very thinly ½ of a lemon, sliced very thinly 1 pinch of cayenne pepper 2 fl-oz(60ml) of dry white wine 1 tsp of olive oil 1 sprig of tarragon 5 ½ oz(175g) of jersey royal potatoes Sea salt & freshly ground white pepper
First place a pan of salted water over a high heat and bring it to the boil. Add your potatoes and parboil them for 10 mins.
Next take a piece of kitchen foil measuring 18"x16" and lay it out on a flat surface shiny side down, then place a slightly smaller piece of grease-proof paper on top of it.
Then lay your plaice fillets in the centre of the paper and season both sides. Next sprinkle over the pinch of cayenne pepper and cover the fish with 4-5 slices of lemon and then the sliced fennel. Next pre-heat your oven to Gas 7/220˚F/425˚C.
Drain the potatoes when they're ready and add them to the other ingredients, then place the sprig of tarragon on top. Next fold up the sides of the foil a little and add the wine and the olive oil, sprinkle over a some more seasoning. Close the parcel starting with the ends first so the liquids don't escape, then work your way over the top until sealed.
Place the parcel on a baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. When ready simply serve the parcel on a plate, open it and remove the sprig of tarragon then sprinkle your plaice en papillote with some chopped fennel fronds.
