Keeping up with my plan to increase the fish consumption in this house, we cooked up some tilapia in parchment paper a couple nights ago. My Dad used to cook like this when I was a kid...I think it usually involved tin foil and a campfire...our version is a bit more sophisticated.
Cooking with parchment paper sounds complicated and Martha Stewart-esque, but it actually turned out to be quick and easy. It's a great way to retain flavor and moisture in the fish, and cutting open the "bag" when you serve the meal makes a great presentation.
You can use lots of different types of fish, but I went with tilapia. My fishmonger always has a good selection on hand, and it's pretty low in mercury.
Fish in a bag (serves 2)
2 fillets of tilapia (6 oz. each)
1 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil (a.k.a. EVOO, for any Rachael Ray fans out there)
1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning mix
1 small onion, chopped into large pieces
16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/3 cup of sliced jalapenos
1/2 tsp. of salt
16 grinds of fresh pepper
1/2 lime, cut into 4 slices
Unroll parchment paper and cut into 2 pieces, about 2 feet long each. Fold each piece in half, creating a crease. Open back up and place on flat surface; spray both halves with fat free Pam cooking spray.
Spread taco seasoning mix over tilapia fillets, coating both sides.
For each serving: place fish on right half of parchment paper; top with half of the chopped onion, then half of the sliced tomatoes, then half of the sliced jalapenos, then 2 lime slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 8 grinds of fresh black pepper. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil , then fold left half of paper over and crimp together bottom edge and top edge of the paper to close up the "bag."
Place both bags on baking sheet, and spray with Pam. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. To serve, cut an "X" in the top of each bag, and peel back the paper (watch out for the steam).
I recommend serving with a side of black beans and brown rice; prepare brown rice according to package directions, then stir in black beans.
Nutritional info (per serving of fish in the bag; does not include black beans and rice):
Calories: 260
Fat: 6
Carbs: 18
Fiber: 3.3
Protein: 36
If you aren't down with the spicy stuff, you can skip the jalapenos (or just don't use as many)...shouldn't affect the flavor too much.
I should also mention that this works well as leftovers. We made four servings, and had leftovers the next night with whole wheat tortillas. Just wrap up the fish, tomatoes, and onions, throw in some black beans and rice, and top with a little salsa.
Enjoy!
Comments