[Gallery] Foodie Friday Fancy Lenten Feast: Fish in a Bag

Cod en Papilotte sounds real fancy but just is really just a filet cooked in a bag.  Sounds better in French, don't it? This is a fast, meat-less dish that is a nice change up from fried fish for Lent,  By the way, extra bonus: practically NO cleanup since everything is contained in the parchment paper!

Cod en Papilotte (Baked cod in parchment paper) ( Prep. time 30 minutes. Recipe serves 2, but easily adjusted for more)

½ pound cod, cut into ¼ pound servings (fillet pieces area about 1"-1 1/2" thick  (You can choose other fish. Works really well with whole fish like trout or snapper if you don’t mind bones or your dinner looking up at you)

1 small to medium yellow squash, thinly sliced at an angle into about 6 pieces

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

¼ sweet onion like Vidalia, cut into thin slices

¼ lemon, thinly sliced into four pieces

2 Tb. olive oil

4 sprigs fresh dill

Coarse Kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

2 square pieces of parchment paper large enough to fold in half over each of the fish portions plus about 1 inch or more around the 3 edges.

Pre-heat oven to 375.  Salt and pepper both sides of the fish.   Place three pieces of yellow squash in the center of half of each piece of parchment paper. Top each with half the cherry tomatoes and sliced onion.  Place the cod on top of the vegetables.  Drizzle each with 1 Tb. olive oil (you can used an infused oil if you like with flavors like garlic, tarragon or rosemary if you want a little more flavor). Top each fish portion with 2 slice of onion and a couple sprigs of fresh dill.

Fold parchment over fish and roll and pinch the open edges to seal.

Place fish packets on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, steaming the fish, vegetables, dill and lemon all together.

For a dramatic presentation, place the paper packets on each serving plate and cut open to release the steam and wonderful aromas. Serve with wild rice.

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You can use whatever fish you like and vegetables you like.  I would have liked to use asparagus or maybe fennel and spinach if it were just me.  But someone isn’t as fond as asparagus or fennel as I am.  You could, however customize each packet per diner if you’re nicer than I am and don't mind prepping separate vegetables per packet.