Cod en papillote with baked new potatoes

Enjoy all the decadence of French food at home with this quick and simple cod en papillote recipe with baked new potatoes. 

Steamed together in its own parchment casing, this dish is aromatic and flavourful yet still healthy enough for a weeknight meal.

Cooking each portion individually in parcels means it’s easy to adjust this recipe according to your needs – you can make it for one in the microwave or double the recipe for a large dinner party with family or friends.

Serves: 4  Cook time: 20 minutes

You’ll need:

• 400g new potatoes, sliced in half
• 4 thick cut cod steaks (about 120g each)
• 100g fresh spinach
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 10g fresh parsley
• 4 slices of lemon
• 100ml white wine
• 20g butter

Method

By Oven

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180*c / gas 4. Cut 4 large rectangular pieces of non-stick parchment paper, roughly 30cm x 25cm.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for about 8 minutes, drain.
3. Take a piece of the parchment and fold in half. Divide the potatoes, pepper and spinach between the parchment paper on one half. Place a cod steak on top then place a slice of lemon on the fish. Season with salt and milled pepper and scatter over the parsley.
4. Drizzle over the wine and add a dot of butter. Wet the edges of the parchment with water and then seal all the ingredients in a bit like making a Cornish pasty.
5. Place the parcels onto a baking sheet and cook for about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your cod is. Place the en papillote on serving plates so you open at the table.

By Microwave

1. Cut 4 large rectangular pieces of non-stick parchment paper, roughly 30cm x 25cm.
2. Cook the potatoes in 100ml of water in the microwave for about 8 minutes, drain.
3. Take a piece of the parchment and fold in half. Divide the potatoes, pepper and spinach between the parchment paper on one half. Place a cod steak on top then place a slice of lemon on the fish. Season with salt and milled pepper and scatter over the parsley.
4. Drizzle over the wine and add a dot of butter. Wet the edges of the parchment with water and then seal all the ingredients in a bit like making a Cornish pasty.
5. Place the en papilotte into the microwave 2 at a time and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Potatoes: More Than A Bit On The Side