Sand Dabs en Papillote #FishFridayFoodies

It's time for the March Fish Friday Foodies' 2022 event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. This month Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories is hosting; she asked us to shared steamed fish recipes. Here's the line-up...

• Kerala Style Surmai Fish Cutlets from Sneha's Recipe
• Ligurian Seafood Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Nori-wrapped Ginger Soy Steamed Cod from Food Lust People Love
• Sand Dabs en Papillote from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Steamed Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa from Palatable Pastime
• Steamed Haddock with Brussels Sprouts in Vermouth from Goats and Greens
• Steamed Salmon with Fennel from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Sand Dabs en Papillote

A little while back, in my CSF (community-supported fishery) share we received pan-ready sand dabs - 'pan-ready' meaning that they had been headed and gutted for me. All I needed to do was figure out how we wanted to eat them. Sand Dabs (Citharichthys sordidus) are a flatfish like the sole, halibut, and flounder. Not too fishy and quick to cook.

En papillote is a method of cooking that involves making an envelope out of parchment paper and roasting the fish in the package. I love it! The steam produced in the packet keeps the fish moist, and it's a fun presentation to open the fish packet at the table.

Ingredients serves 4

• 4 to 8 sand dab fillets, cleaned (you can put 2 sand dabs into each packet, if you have enough fish)
• 1 cup thinly sliced roasted bell peppers (HOW TO: Roast Peppers), divided
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved, divided
• 8 sprigs organic cilantro
• 4 teaspoons chopped organic mint leaves, divided
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• good quality olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• also needed: parchment paper

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Place 1/4 cup roasted peppers on the center of a piece of parchment paper that’s long enough that you can completely envelop your ingredients and create a packet. Place a fillet on top of the peppers and top the fish with 1/8 cup olives.

Lay the herbs - 2 sprigs cilantro and 1 teaspoon chopped mint - on top of that. Sprinkle with freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar. 

Bring the sides of the parchment up around the fillet and fold the edges together, rolling it down to the fish. Crimp the ends together, folding them in till fish is completely enclosed. Place the packet on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and let steam for another five minutes. Serve as is, letting diners open their packets at the table.

I paired the dish with a bottle of Malvasia Bianca for a delicious match. Cin cin. Well, that's a wrap on our March Fish Friday Foodies event. We'll be back next month with Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm hosting as we share recipes with fish from a can. Stay tuned.