The other day, Peter from Kalofagas did a delicious looking Grouper En Papillote. It reminded me of a Japanese dish with a similar preparation called Mushiyaki (pronounced moo-shi-yah-kee) which translates to "steam grilled".
Traditionally wrapped in bamboo leaves and grilled over coals, this isn't one of those recent transplants. Since I don't have a bamboo tree in my yard (or any yard at all for that matter), I adapted a more French technique of wrapping the fish in parchment paper a la Fillet De Limande En Papillote. The flounder fillets are wrapped in parchment paper with some leeks and enoki mushrooms, along with some dashi infused soy sauce, sake and mirin. It's then put in a hot oven so the steam from the liquids gently cooks the fish.
Since it's not breaded and there's no cooking oil used it's low in carbs and fat which (aside from the sodium) qualifies it as healthy. I'm sure this comes as a welcome change after a week of deep fried foods here:-) It's also great for dinner parties as it takes little work, can be prepared ahead of time and looks rather impressive when you unwrap it at the table.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 pack mushrooms enoki
- 1 leek small julienned
- 4 flounder small fillets
- 4 tablespoons mirin
- 4 tablespoons sake
- 8 teaspoons dashi soy sauce
- Meyer lemon zest
- green onion thinly sliced
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice chili)
Instructions
- First cut the parchment paper into big circles. The way I do this is to first cut squares off the role by folding it into a triangle then cutting along the edge. Lay the square piece of parchment paper in front of you and fold it in half then in half again, which should give you a square piece of parchment paper 4 layers thick. Put it on a flat surface with the cut edges facing away from you then place a large bowl on top of the paper from one cut corner to the other, tracing the outline. Cut it out and you should have a perfect circle.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and move the rack to the bottom position.
- Lay a quarter of the mushrooms and leeks in the center then place a fillet of flounder on top. Fold the parchment paper over to make a "taco". Now, fold the two corners inside and up (see photo below) so it forms a boat.
- Start folding over the parchment paper from one corner and stop about two thirds of the way through. Add 1 Tbs of Mirin, 1 Tbs of sake and 2 tsp of dashi soy sauce into the pouch. If you don't have dashi soy sauce, you can use regular soy sauce with some dashi powder sprinkled in.
- Finish folding over the parchment paper then seal the end by tucking the edge under the final fold. Stand the pouches up on the seam (so the folded parts face up) on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes (depending on how thick your fillets were).
- Remove from the oven and open the pouches up on a plate to serve, garnishing with some scallions, lemon zest, and shichimi togarashi. I usually serve this with a bowl of rice.
Peter says
Marc, I see you wrapped your fish in the proper "papillote" method.
That fish looks good even raw and you know I'd eat that.
I think mushrooms and seafood pair wonderfully, props on the Enoki.
Delighted to have inspired you...you put your own "stamp" on this one.
Gera says
Hi Marc!
Gorgeous pics and impossible to not result so good and healthy with all those ingredients!
Sometimes it's necessary to adapt the recipes to "western" techniques...without losing the essential...
Already voted some days before 🙂
Scott at Realepicurean says
Great cooking method; always a favourite with fish.
pigpigscorner says
They look delicious! I've never tried this method, sounds great!
Peter says
Marc, I see you wrapped your fish in the proper "papillote" method.
That fish looks good even raw and you know I'd eat that.
I think mushrooms and seafood pair wonderfully, props on the Enoki.
Delighted to have inspired you...you put your own "stamp" on this one.
Gera says
Hi Marc!
Gorgeous pics and impossible to not result so good and healthy with all those ingredients!
Sometimes it's necessary to adapt the recipes to "western" techniques...without losing the essential...
Already voted some days before 🙂
Scott at Realepicurean says
Great cooking method; always a favourite with fish.
Emily says
I love steamed fish! My mom makes this delicious dish that is quite similar, but you put a nice twist on it with the parchment paper. Its probably one of the only cooked fish dishes I would eat 🙂
Tartlette says
I voted! I also enlisted my better half and his students to vote and promised a few boxes of macarons if either of us make it!! You deserve it....I want to invite you over for dinner and watch you cook 🙂 So yes, dear Marc, you have a standing invitation at our house!!
pigpigscorner says
They look delicious! I've never tried this method, sounds great!
White On Rice Couple says
Congrats on the nomination! We'll head on over there in a minute...
Baking fish in parchment is something I've been dying to try. I love your combo of soy sauce, sake and mirin. The marinade is a triple threat!
Lori Lynn says
1. I voted for you, Good Luck.
2. I like this dish very much.
LL
Emily says
I love steamed fish! My mom makes this delicious dish that is quite similar, but you put a nice twist on it with the parchment paper. Its probably one of the only cooked fish dishes I would eat 🙂
Tartlette says
I voted! I also enlisted my better half and his students to vote and promised a few boxes of macarons if either of us make it!! You deserve it....I want to invite you over for dinner and watch you cook 🙂 So yes, dear Marc, you have a standing invitation at our house!!
White On Rice Couple says
Congrats on the nomination! We'll head on over there in a minute...
Baking fish in parchment is something I've been dying to try. I love your combo of soy sauce, sake and mirin. The marinade is a triple threat!
Lori Lynn says
1. I voted for you, Good Luck.
2. I like this dish very much.
LL
diva says
just 2 days ago, i steamed a cod fillet in a foil bag with some vegetables & mushrooms in sake and soy sauce. doesn't sound as good as yours! this is lovely..thanks for educating me a little. i hope to give this a try sometime.x
Tan says
i wish i could have some of that for dinner. Love fish and i love to try before folding if can...like salmon with salad...heheheh...;)
helen says
I really hope you win, Marc. It'll be well-deserved.
This dish looks delicious. I'll be going to my local Japanese grocery store to stock up on some ingredients. It's never a short visit, nor a cheap visit...
diva says
just 2 days ago, i steamed a cod fillet in a foil bag with some vegetables & mushrooms in sake and soy sauce. doesn't sound as good as yours! this is lovely..thanks for educating me a little. i hope to give this a try sometime.x
Tan says
i wish i could have some of that for dinner. Love fish and i love to try before folding if can...like salmon with salad...heheheh...;)
helen says
I really hope you win, Marc. It'll be well-deserved.
This dish looks delicious. I'll be going to my local Japanese grocery store to stock up on some ingredients. It's never a short visit, nor a cheap visit...
We Are Never Full says
this really looks nice. we do parchment pouches often, usually w/ a bit of wine or sherry or pernod, but your marinade would do well when i need that salty flavor. really beautiful pictures as always. if you don't win that award, i have mafia connections so just let me know...
we'll miss you tonight! have fun and tell everyone we said hello! next time...
Heather says
I love seeing which brands you use. 🙂
I voted for you, Mark, and I sure hope you win. But regardless of the result, you'll always be one of my favorite blogs.
We Are Never Full says
this really looks nice. we do parchment pouches often, usually w/ a bit of wine or sherry or pernod, but your marinade would do well when i need that salty flavor. really beautiful pictures as always. if you don't win that award, i have mafia connections so just let me know...
we'll miss you tonight! have fun and tell everyone we said hello! next time...
Heather says
I love seeing which brands you use. 🙂
I voted for you, Mark, and I sure hope you win. But regardless of the result, you'll always be one of my favorite blogs.
Natasha aka 5 Star Foodie says
Love this dish! Gorgeous pictures!
Darius T. Williams says
Love this - and the picture is amazing.
Natasha aka 5 Star Foodie says
Love this dish! Gorgeous pictures!
Darius T. Williams says
Love this - and the picture is amazing.