Halibut en Papillote Recipe

Halibut en Papillote

By Sara Perry from Chronicle Books' Everything Tastes Better With Bacon

Halibut en Papillote

Ingredients:

4 12-inch square sheets parchment paper
2 thick smoked bacon slices (2 ounces uncooked), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
4 halibut fillets, each about 6 ounces and 3/4 inch thick
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 sweet white onion, thinly sliced
16 heart-shaped carrot slices (optional)
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons dry white wine
1 egg white, beaten

Serves 4

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found in
Everything Tastes Better With Bacon
from Chronicle Books

Great things come in small packages, especially when you cook en papillote, in parchment paper. This combines the techniques of baking, braising, and steaming, and seals in the flavors of the ingredients you are using. It's also very easy to do.

In this recipe, bacon is used as a smoky and salty seasoning. It gives a delicious finish to the natural juices of the delicate halibut, sweet tomatoes, and onions. For a delightful surprise, I like to tuck some tiny heart-shaped carrot slices inside the packets.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fold each sheet of parchment paper in half.

In a medium-heavy skillet, cook the bacon pieces over low to medium-low heat, turning as needed to achieve uniform crispness. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Arrange a fillet to one side of the fold line of each parchment sheet. Divide and arrange the tomato pieces, onion slices, and carrot hearts, if desired, on the top and sides of each fillet. Sprinkle the fillets with the tarragon, bacon pieces, and salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon white wine over each fillet.

Lightly brush the inside edges of each parchment packet with egg white. Beginning with a folded corner, twist and fold the edges of each packet together. Arrange the packets on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. The packets will puff up. Place the unopened packets on plates and let diners cut open at the table.

Note: To make carrot hearts, slice 1 or 2 medium carrots into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Arrange the slices on a cutting board. Using a heart-shaped garnish cutter that is slightly smaller in diameter than the carrot slices, cut each slice into a heart.