Grilled Fish in Parchment
I'm fresh off a barbecue competition this past weekend (more on how that went next week) and while gaining a notch in the waistline comes with the territory during one of these events, I returned home with a few extra this time around thanks to the abundance of fried foods that came along with the Jersey Shore location. Between my times of work and cleaning yesterday, I managed to sneak in yet another fried meal for lunch, which I instantly regretted and made me feel like I need to lighten things up for the rest of the week. That got me thinking about some grilled fish and parchment I made last year, and even though I'm not a big fish guy, I found myself really enjoying these refreshing packets of seafood.
Fish in parchment is nothing new, and has no real reason it needs to be grilled, but I wanted to try out this method of gently steaming fish with an array of aromatics and I saw no reason it couldn't be done over the flames. They started out with the requisite parchment paper, which was folded in half and cut out into a half heart shape to create the pocket for the fish to live in.
The idea behind this method of cooking is that additions placed in the parchment alongside the fish will cook and impart flavor on the delicate piece of seafood, and likewise, the fish will add a little flavor to whatever else in the pocket. I did a few seasoning combos the day I made these, but my favorite started with a bed of thinly sliced yellow squash, zucchini, and fennel.
On top of that went lemon slices, then the filet of sole followed by dill, olive oil, salt, and pepper. All of these were light flavors that I hoped would give the final product a soft kiss of freshness and citrus that would compliment and not overwhelm the fish.
Once the ingredients were in place, the packets were sealed by folding the edges together a little bit a time. Starting with the top of the "heart" and working my way around, the final semi-circle shape took form and the packet was ready to be cooked.
At this point the fish can be thrown into a 375 degree oven, but if there's space on the grill, as I had that day, it can be done over indirect heat. You may be hard pressed to actually call this "grilling," but it certainly is a great way to grill fish without the terror of cooking directly on the grates and subjecting yourself to the all too real fears of the seafood sticking or falling apart on the grill. It also solves the problem of being able to cook less grillable fish, like sole and flounder.
The fish sat and gently steamed in their packets until just cooked through, which took roughly 10 minutes over medium-high heat indirect heat. What emerged was a fish that was perfectly tender, having a slight lemony tang and herbal notes from the dill. Those subtle compliments to the sole were the main draw, and thinking about that delicate nature seems instantly appealing right now after coming off a weekend where everything I ate was loaded with fat, heaviness, and flavors meant to overwhelm the taste buds.
