Halibut en Papillote with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Fish and tomatoes sealed in parchment and baked into their own sauce, so the packet does the work a saucepan usually would.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
-
Cut four 15-inch squares of parchment paper and fold each in half to crease, then open flat again.
-
Toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
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Season the halibut and set one fillet on one half of each parchment square, then top with the tomato mixture, a few lemon slices, and a splash of white wine.
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Fold the parchment over and crimp the edges in tight, overlapping folds until each packet is fully sealed.
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Bake at 400°F until the packets are puffed and taut, about 15 minutes.
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Tear each packet open at the table, angling it away from your face — the steam that rushes out is the point, but it’s scalding.
Notes
The seal is what makes this work: if steam can escape, the fish steams in air instead of in tomato-and-wine liquid, and it dries out before it cooks through. Crimp the parchment like you mean it, and don’t peek early to check — every time you open a packet, you let out the thing that’s cooking the fish.
Halibut holds its shape best, but any firm white fillet — cod, snapper, sea bass — works the same way. Serve the packets unopened and let people tear into their own; the smell that comes off them is half the dish.