Mastering Chinese Style Parchment Fish: A Healthy & Flavorful Weeknight Meal
For many households, fish remains an elusive dish, often met with skepticism or outright refusal, particularly by younger family members. My own home is no exception. My husband and children, much like my younger self, tend to shy away from seafood. Growing up, fish was rarely on the menu in my husband’s household, and a similar story applied to me. Consequently, because I married someone who wasn’t a fish enthusiast, I seldom prepared it, leading to my children developing a similar reluctance.
This culinary hurdle is precisely why I always keep those convenient frozen packs of individually portioned fish fillets in my freezer. They offer the perfect solution: whenever I crave a delicious, healthy fish meal, I can easily prepare a single serving for myself without having to cook a larger batch that might go uneaten. It’s my little secret to enjoying fresh flavors whenever the mood strikes, ensuring I don’t miss out on the nutritional benefits and taste of well-prepared fish.
Discovering the Art of Fish in Parchment
My culinary adventures recently took an exciting turn when I got my hands on a copy of Jaden Hair’s fantastic new cookbook, Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites. As I savored each page, I stumbled upon a recipe that immediately caught my eye: page 142’s vibrant Chinese-style Parchment Fish. The concept of cooking in parchment paper, a method also known as “en papillote,” wasn’t entirely new to me. I had previously experimented with it when preparing a truly delicious Curried Chicken, Peppers & Peas dish, so I was already familiar with its magic.
Baking in parchment is an incredibly popular and smart cooking technique, and for good reason. It creates a sealed environment, trapping steam and natural juices, which infuses the food with intense flavor and keeps it wonderfully moist. Beyond the exceptional taste, this method offers practical benefits that any home cook will appreciate: minimal cleanup and consistently amazing results. It’s a win-win in every sense, making healthy and delicious meals more accessible and enjoyable.
Why This Chinese Style Parchment Fish is a Game Changer
Jaden Hair aptly names this dish “Chinese-style” fish, even though it utilizes the French en papillote method. Her rationale is rooted in traditional Chinese culinary practices, where fish is often steamed whole and presented with its head and tail intact—a presentation that can be quite messy and intimidating for many. Recognizing this, Jaden brilliantly adapted the parchment cooking technique to deliver the rich, aromatic flavors of Chinese cuisine with significantly less fuss and much easier cleanup. She incorporates a blend of authentic Chinese herbs and seasonings, creating a harmonious and deeply satisfying flavor profile. Conveniently, I found all the necessary ingredients readily available in my pantry, making this recipe incredibly accessible.
For my rendition of this delicious recipe, I made only minor adjustments. I decided to enhance the freshness by adding some vibrant chives straight from my herb garden, which, to be honest, were growing a little out of control and needed a good trim! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a fresh chile on hand, so I opted to omit it, but you can certainly add one if you enjoy a touch of heat. The beauty of this recipe is its versatility; you can use any white fish you prefer. I personally used cod, which I always keep stocked in my freezer, and it performed beautifully, absorbing all the wonderful Asian-inspired flavors.
This dish was truly exceptional—bursting with flavor and surprisingly light. In fact, I only prepared one small fillet for myself and instantly wished I had made two! It was gone so quickly, leaving me craving more. This Chinese Style Parchment Fish is undoubtedly a keeper, destined to become a regular in my personal cooking rotation. It’s a testament to how simple yet profound flavors can elevate a weeknight meal.
The Benefits of Cooking “En Papillote” (In Parchment)
Cooking “en papillote” is more than just a convenient method; it’s a technique that truly elevates the dining experience. By sealing ingredients in a parchment paper packet, you create a mini-oven that steams the food. This steaming process locks in moisture, ensuring your fish remains incredibly tender and flaky. All the delicate aromas and flavors from the herbs, spices, and liquids meld together within the packet, resulting in a concentrated, delicious sauce that enhances every bite. It’s also an incredibly healthy way to cook, requiring minimal added fats, as the ingredients essentially cook in their own juices.
Beyond the culinary advantages, the practical benefits are immense. Cleanup is a breeze—simply discard the parchment paper, and your baking sheet remains virtually spotless. This method is also fantastic for portion control, as each packet can be prepared for individual servings, making it ideal for single diners or households with varied dietary preferences. Furthermore, it’s a wonderfully customizable technique, allowing you to experiment with different fish, vegetables, and flavor profiles to suit your taste. It’s a technique that truly simplifies gourmet cooking.
Key Asian Flavors and Customization Tips
The magic of this Chinese Style Parchment Fish lies in its thoughtfully selected Asian ingredients, each playing a crucial role in creating its distinctive flavor. Fresh ginger adds a warm, spicy, and aromatic kick, while green onions provide a subtle, peppery sweetness. Cilantro offers a bright, herbaceous counterpoint that cuts through the richness. The sauce, a blend of rice cooking wine, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and sesame oil, creates a perfectly balanced sweet, savory, and tangy profile with a nutty finish.
While the recipe is fantastic as written, it’s also highly adaptable. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different vegetables – thinly sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, or even a handful of spinach would be delightful additions. For those who enjoy a bit of heat, a thin slice of fresh red chile or a dash of chili oil could be stirred into the sauce. If cod isn’t your preferred fish, tilapia, halibut, snapper, or even salmon would work wonderfully in this parchment packet, offering slightly different textures and flavors while still benefiting from the steaming method. This flexibility ensures that you can make this delicious and healthy fish dish your very own.
For fellow fish lovers, you might also want to explore this enticing Moqueca (Brazilian fish stew) from Little Ferraro Kitchen. It’s definitely next on my list to try!
Simple Steps to Flawless Parchment Fish
Preparing this Chinese Style Parchment Fish is delightfully straightforward. First, meticulously prepare your aromatics. For the green onions, focus solely on the white part, halving them lengthwise before cutting them in half again to create fine strips. This ensures their flavor is evenly distributed. Next, peel and julienne a piece of fresh ginger, aiming for thin, uniform strips that will impart a gentle warmth and zest. Lastly, chop some cilantro stalks and, if using, a little fresh chives to add a burst of herby freshness.
Once your ingredients are prepped, it’s time to assemble the parchment packet. Lay two sheets of parchment paper criss-cross on a baking sheet. This layered approach provides extra security, ensuring that no flavorful juices escape during baking.
Create the flavorful bed for your fish: arrange the prepared green onion in the center of the parchment. Then, layer half of the julienned ginger over the green onion. This aromatic foundation will infuse the fish with incredible flavor as it cooks.
Season your chosen fish fillet generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Place it directly on top of the green onion and ginger bed. This positioning ensures maximum flavor transfer during the cooking process.
Distribute half of the fresh cilantro evenly over the top of the fish. This initial layer of cilantro will infuse a subtle herbaceous note into the fish as it steams, creating a delicious foundation for the final garnish.
Now, carefully bring the edges of the parchment paper together to form a tightly sealed packet. This is crucial for trapping the steam and flavors. Crimp the edges securely to prevent any liquid from escaping during baking.
Before fully sealing the packet, gently reopen a small corner or top. Carefully pour in the rice cooking wine, which will contribute to the steaming and create a wonderfully fragrant broth. Immediately re-crimp and seal the packet tightly. If you’re concerned about leaks, a staple can provide extra reinforcement, though a good crimp is usually sufficient. Place the sealed packet on your baking sheet and transfer it to the preheated oven.
Once baked, the parchment will be beautifully browned, indicating that the fish is perfectly cooked and infused with all the delectable flavors. Carefully open the packet – be mindful of the steam! Gently remove the cilantro that cooked with the fish and discard it. Replace it with the remaining fresh cilantro, a sprinkle of the chives (if using), and a drizzle of the accompanying sauce (soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil). Serve immediately to enjoy this exquisite, healthy, and easy Chinese Style Parchment Fish.
Chinese Style Parchment Fish
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Ingredients
- 1 green onion halved, white part only, slice lengthwise
- 1 4- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and julienned
- 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped chives
- 1 10- ounce skinless cod fillet
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar
- Pinch of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 sheets parchment paper 18-inches long
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 F.
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Position parchment paper on baking sheet in the shape of a cross, one on top of the other. In the center, make a bed for the fish with the green onion and half of the ginger. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and lay it on top of the herb bed.
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Top the fish with half the cilantro, fold and crimp the parchment into a packet. So that the wine doesn’t pour out, carefully reopen the top of the packet, pour in the wine and recrimp tightly. Staple if you wish.
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Bake 12-15 minutes, until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. If you are cooking more than one packet, add one minute to the cooking time for each additional packet. Just before serving, carefully open the packet and discard cilantro on top.
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Top the fish with fresh dill, remaining cilantro and ginger. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil and pour over fish. Serve immediately.
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.