Fish Fillets Baked in Paper (Fillets de Poisson en Papillote)

With all the cooking techniques available from using a crock pot or pressure cooker, the one I enjoy most is preparing food wrapped in foil or parchment paper. This cooking technique is from France. The food remains moist in the "bag" and can be served by cutting the top of the paper to expose the food inside after cooking. Another way is to remove the food and place on a fancy serving dish. A side dish that usually comes with this dish, the French people like to enjoy their meal with steamed small waxy potatoes with butter drizzled all over them. Asians make this dish leaner with more vegetables using most Asian spices, such as garlic, red chili, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Although the parchment paper is traditionally used to prepare en papillote, Asian cuisines use the banana leaves or heavy duty foil can also do the job. To make this dish, any kind of fillet can be used and it is up to the imagination of each cook to create this kind of cooking.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz. salmon fillets
1 ripe tomato
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 cup red onions, thinly sliced
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp oil
Sauce ingredients:
1/8 tsp chili flakes
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup Japanese sweet sauce*
2 tbs peanut oil
1 tbs lemon juice and zest

Directions:
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Slit the top of tomato with an x. Drop tomato in hot water for a few minutes and remove tomato and let cool. Peel and chop tomato.

 

Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have wilted. Add tomato and the sauce. Bring to boil. Simmer for a few minutes.

Cut two pieces of parchment paper large enough to cover the fish and sauce (about 14 inch
  long  and  12. inch wide).

Place one fish fillet in the center.

 Divide the amount of tomato sauce and spoon over the top of the fish.

At this point, add some chopped cilantro. Fold the paper over and seal the edges of the overlapping paper securely as much as possible.

Place each bag on a baking dish or tray. Preheat oven to 400° and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

*Japanese sweet sauce ingredients and directions:
1 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
5 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs bonito flakes

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to boil. Cook until sugar dissolves. Add the bonito flakes and turn the heat off. Set aside for 20 minutes. Drain the sauce through a fine sieve with the paper towel. Add chili, garlic, or even wasabi. Reserve the sauce for later.