Tarragon and white wine halibut en papillote with tomatoes, fennel, and capers by Daphne Oz

Tarragon and white wine halibut en papillote with tomatoes, fennel, and capers by Daphne Oz

3
Points®
Total Time
42 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Cooking en papillote means cooking food in a sealed packet. The tight seal around the packet allows the ingredients to marry flavors while creating a tasty sauce, and preventing your protein from drying out. It’s also an easy way to cook your protein and veggies all at once.

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp

Shallot

2 Tbsp, chopped, finely chopped

Garlic clove

1 clove(s), minced

Cherry tomatoes

2 cup(s), halved

Uncooked fennel bulb

½ pound(s), about 1 small, fronds removed and reserved, bulb cored and thinly sliced

Capers

2 Tbsp, drained

Mustard seed

1 tsp

Kosher salt

2 pinch(es), or to taste

Lemon

2 item(s), large, thinly sliced into rounds

Fresh tarragon

8 sprig(s), about 1 small bunch

Uncooked halibut fillet

1¼ pound(s), skinless, 4 (5-oz) fillets

Sea salt

2 pinch(es), or to taste

Black pepper

2 pinch(es), freshly cracked, or to taste

Olive oil

4 tsp

White wine

¼ cup(s), dry variety

Lemon

½ item(s), large, cut into 4 wedges

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sliced fennel, capers, and mustard seeds; cook, stirring often, until tomatoes just begin to break down, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt; remove from the heat.
  2. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Fold four 12- X 16-inch pieces of parchment paper in half; cut each into a half heart shape (when you open it should form a whole heart).
  3. Place 2 to 3 lemon rounds in a row down center of half of a parchment heart; top with 1 to 2 sprigs tarragon. Place a halibut fillet over tarragon; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle fillet with 1 tsp oil, 1 tbsp wine, and top with a spoonful of tomato-fennel mixture. Fold second half of parchment heart over fillet; fold edges of parchment inwards on top of itself to seal packet. Repeat with remaining parchment and ingredients to make 4 packets (you may have extra tomato-fennel mixture that you can serve with the meal).
  4. Divide sealed packets between 2 baking sheets; bake until parchment has puffed, about 12 to 14 minutes.
  5. Remove pans from oven; allow to cool 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully tear parchment open—steam will escape and fish should be aromatic, opaque white, and easily flaked with a fork. Serve with additional tomato-fennel mixture, lemon wedges, and a garnish of fennel fronds on top.
  6. Serving size: 1 packet