Halibut with Zucchini en Papillote and a Fish Blog Hop

Halibut en Papillote

If your new year’s resolution had anything to do with a healthier diet, then this simple, elegant dish is a good place to start. I absolutely adore halibut for its delicate, clean flavor and firm texture. And its nutritional benefits are through the roof – super low in fat and calories, halibut is an excellent source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin b12, and more. Cooking en papillote – or in a parchment paper bundle – is a great way to seal in these nutrients without introducing a lot of extra fats to your meal. You simply put whatever you’d like to cook, along with a bit of liquid and flavor if you like, into a pack made of parchment, seal it, and bake. The result is a healthy meal that is more flavorful than simply steaming but just as healthy.

 

Not only is this dish incredibly healthy, it’s also beautiful. It makes for a fun presentation that is especially enjoyable when entertaining. Each guest gets his or her own packet, a little surprise on their plate. When everyone opens them at the same time the result is quite dramatic as each guest gets a whiff of and first glance at the contents. Plus, it require very little clean up since everything is contained within the parchment paper. How easy is that?

For this dish, I sautéed onion, zucchini, and garlic to use as the structural and flavor base of the dish. After spooning this aromatic mixture onto the parchment I added the halibut, which I seasoned and topped with lemon slices. A bit of white wine provided steaming liquid plus additional flavor. It is then baked for a mere 8 to 10 minutes and voila, a healthy gourmet meal is on your table!

Halibut en Papillote How To

5.0 from 8 reviews
Halibut with Zucchini en Papillote
 
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
 
Do not be intimidated by cooking en papillote - this method is healthy, simple, and quick. If you don't have parchment paper, aluminum foil may be substituted, but won't look as pretty.
Author:
Recipe Type: Entree
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • ½ teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ small onion, chopped
  • 1 small zucchini, cut into large dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound halibut filet, cut into 4 even pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 8 thin slices lemon
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion, zucchini, and garlic and sauté until softened. Remove from the heat.
  3. Cut 4 pieces of parchment into squares or rectangles twice as big as the pieces of fish. Fold in half and cut out a half heart shape (like you did on Valentine's day as a kid so when it unfolds it's shaped like a heart). Lay the parchment on a baking sheet.
  4. Unfold one parchment heart and spoon ¼ of the zucchini mixture into the center.
  5. Place a piece of halibut on top and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Top with 2 lemon slices.
  7. Fold over the edges of the parchment little by little, leaving a small opening. Pour in 1 tablespoon of the wine and fold over to seal.
  8. Repeat with remaining parchment and fish.
  9. Put in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
  10. Transfer the packets to plates and serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten Free, Parve

This recipe has been linked up at Jane Deere’s Fusion Fridays



53 thoughts on “Halibut with Zucchini en Papillote and a Fish Blog Hop

    • Katherine

      Thanks Anne! I only started cooking fish a few years ago but I just love it now. I’ve found so many new recipes to try on this hop! Thanks for linking up your tuna pasta salad! 😀

  1. Kiri W.

    I love cooking on papillote, and I especially love that you just added the zucchini in there 🙂 I think I fell in lcoe with this when I was 16, staying with a French host family for the summer, and my “maman” made halibut with gigs en papilotte. Amazing!
    By the way, there’s a little surprise waiting for you at my blog!

    • Katherine

      That sounds so lovely! What an image I have in my head of your maman cooking en papillote – what an experience! And I’m so excited, popping over to your blog to check it out now 😀

  2. Kimberly

    I love cooking “en papillote” … and I’ll be sharing my “trout en papillote” recipe in the blog hop!

    I definitely want to try your halibut version … that’s my favorite fish and your recipe sounds light, healthy, and delicious!

    • Katherine

      So glad you shared that recipe Kimberly! I want to cook more fish this way and I definitely don’t cook with trout enough. I hope you enjoy this version with halibut!

  3. Christy

    I love halibut too, for the same reasons as you mentioned!:) Oh my, what a great dish to start the new year!;)
    Halibut and zucchini, ahhhh, sounds like a heavenly combination!!:D

  4. zenchef

    I absolutely love this. Bright, fresh and delicious flavors that don’t mask the halibut.
    I love cooking ‘en papillote’ also. One of those simple technique that people should use more.
    Feel free to share your beautiful creations in my food gallery http://www.zencancook.com/zenspotting/ if you feel like it. Would love to have you there. 🙂

    • Katherine

      Thanks! I agree about cooking en papillote – it’s something I would like to do more often as well! Thanks so much for the invitation to Zenspotting, it’s gorgeous! I’ll definitely submit some photos, thanks 😀

  5. Ann

    That looks absolutely stunning! I adore fish, but developed an allergy to ALL seafood – fresh water and sea as well as shellfish about 9 years ago. I can’t even tolerate prolonged exposure! However, if I could – the papillote recipe would be one we would definitely try – it’s stunning!

  6. easyfoodsmith

    Lovely presentation and what a healthy dish! I made prawns en papillote a few days ago and ended up burning the paper! I realised that my oven temperature was searing hot!

    • Katherine

      Thank you! And oh no, that is definitely something to keep in mind! Especially if you have a gas oven. I bet it still tasted good – I’ll have to try prawns en papillote.

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