Lemon Asparagus Fish En Papillote

This lemon and asparagus fish en papillote (or fish in parchment) served with a bright lemon herb sauce is a fresh, healthy dinner that's both easy and delicious! (gluten-free, nut-free)

If you've never tried making fish en papillote (or fish in parchment), it's time to try! "En Papillote"  (it literally means "in parchment") is a method of cooking where the food is placed in a little packet made from parchment paper, and then baked or grilled. The food inside steams, so it's left moist and tender, which is why it's a great method for cooking seafood!

I love the simplicity of fish en papillote for easy weeknight dinners that are healthy and easy to clean up. You cook all your ingredients together in the parchment packets, so you can set it and forget it, and don't have any dishes to wash aside from the baking sheet!

How do you fold fish en papillote?

This is probably the most difficult part, but it's still not too hard. Start with a big sheet of parchment. The more room you have, the better. Place your ingredients in the center of the parchment. For this recipe, I placed the asparagus parallel to the long sides of the parchment, so that there was plenty of room on both sides of the fish and vegetables, and at least 2 inches on the top and bottom.

After seasoning, bring the two long sides together to meet at the top above the fish. Fold a ½-inch crease, then fold it over itself twice, so that you’ve folded the edge tightly three times and it lays flat on top against the top of the packet. Then, fold each of the two short ends up two to three times to seal the paper into a little packet.

I love asparagus with fish, especially when it's at it's freshest in the spring, so I decided on a bright lemon and asparagus combo with flaky white fish. My favorite to use is haibut, but cod and other white fish work well here, too. All they need are a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to be delicious!

To really kick things up a notch, make the flavorful lemon herb sauce while your fish en papillote cooks. It's a lovely way to use up fresh herbs - I used parsley, chives, and dill, but feel free to use what you have on hand - and adds a ton of flavor when spooned on top of the flaky fish.

Finally, to make dinner extra easy, serve this lemon asparagus fish en papillote with leftover cooked quinoa or another pre-cooked whole grain. It's easy healthy and delicious!

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!

Lemon Asparagus Fish En Papillote

Print Recipe

This lemon and asparagus fish en papiollote (or fish in parchment) served with a bright lemon herb sauce is a fresh, healthy dinner that's both easy and delicious! (gluten-free, nut-free)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: main dish
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: seafood

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Fish en Papillote:

• 4 filets white fish, such as halibut or cod
• 1 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed off
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 lemon, for juice
• 4 tsp butter
• Coarse salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Herb Sauce:

• ¾ cup parsley
• ¼ cup chives
• 2 tbsp dill
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• Juice from ½ lemon
• ½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Tear 4 large sheets of parchment paper.
2. On one sheet of parchment, place ¼ of the asparagus parallel to the long ends, leaving at least 2 inches at the top and bottom of the asparagus. Season asparagus with salt and pepper. Place 2 lemon slices on top of asparagus, and top with a fish filet. Squeeze lemon over fish and with salt and pepper. Place a small pat of butter on top of fish.
3.  Fold the parchment into a packet by folding the two long sides to meet together above the center of the fish. Fold and crease parchment three times to seal. Then fold each short end up and crease 2-3 times to seal. Repeat with remaining parchment, asparagus and fish to make 4 packets.
4. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.
5. While fish is baking, make the herb sauce. Finely chop parsley, chives, dill, and garlic. Add to a bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Once fish is done, carefully open packets and discard lemon slices. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

Notes

You can swap any of the fresh herbs out for whatever herbs you have on hand.

Keywords: fish and asparagus, lemon fish and asparagus