Parchment Baked Fish with Chermoula Sauce

Step 1

Cut off a piece of parchment about 16 inches long. Lay it down on a cookie sheet.Fold the paper in half lengthwise (short side to short side) pressing to make a crease, then reopen. Place your ingredients on one side of the parchment, putting thinly cut vegetables down first, the fish atop them, and drizzle the chermoula all over.Fold the other half of the parchment over the ingredients and begin securing the paper down by starting in one corner and folding over in half inch segments, starting each new fold right after the one before ends. You can staple these segments down so that they have no risk of coming undone, especially if it’s your first time doing this. Tuck your final fold underneath the opposite corner of the parchment.

Step 2

Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F and make the chermoula recipe (It only takes a few minutes). Make the parchment packets: Cut off a piece of parchment about 16 inches long. Lay it down on a cookie sheet. Fold the paper in half lengthwise (short side to short side). Press the fold to make a crease, then reopen. Sally Vargas Place the ingredients on the parchment paper: Place the bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini, and onion on one half of the parchment paper. Leave enough room around the edges to fold the parchment together later. Add the fish on top of the vegetables and spread 3 tablespoons of chermoula all over. Sally Vargas Sally Vargas Sally Vargas Seal the fish and vegetables in parchment: Fold the top piece of parchment over the fish and vegetables. You are going to fold, crease and press the top and the bottom pieces of parchment together to seal the food in the parchment. Start at one end and fold the two pieces of parchment together pressing down to seal the folds while working your way around to the other side. Tuck your final fold underneath the parchment so the steam won’t escape while the fish is baking. If you’re finding it difficult to keep the parchment together you can staple it or use aluminum foil, especially if it’s your first time doing this. Though there is no twisting involved, the overall appearance will be slightly rolled or twisted looking. Sally Vargas Sally Vargas Sally Vargas Sally Vargas Bake the fish: Place the baking sheet with the parchment enrobed fish into the oven and bake the fish until it is feels fairly firm to the touch when you press on the outside of the parchment paper, about 15 minutes. You should be able to press your thumb into the fish and your finger and be unable to push fully into it and create a dent; it should instead have a little bit of spring back. Remove from oven. Let the fish rest and cool slightly: Let the fish rest and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. The fish will continue to cook while it rests. Sally Vargas Serve: Once the fish has rested use scissors to slice through the parchment paper and transfer the fish and veggies onto a plate. Note that hot steam will escape when opening the parchment packet—that’s why it’s imperative to let it cool for a few minutes, so that the steam doesn’t burn you. Sally Vargas