There isn’t a healthy epithet you can hurl at this Fish with Blood Orange and Thyme in Parchment that doesn’t fit — low calorie, low carb, gluten free, Paleo, low fat, Whole30… and while you’re at it you can throw in beautiful and delicious. It’s great to have in your arsenal of recipes for when you feel the urge to cleanse.
This is a concept I play around with a lot, (remember this lemon herb version?) partly because we love to eat fish, and partly because it’s so fast and easy. Sometimes I’ll layer my fish on top of onions, or fennel, sometimes tomatoes or julienned veggies, but because we’re at the start of citrus season, I’m using gorgeous blood oranges sliced so thinly you can see right through them like stained glass. They’ll perfume my trout with their distinctive berry flavor.
The secret to making a delicious meal out of something as simple as a piece of fish, a blood orange, and a few sprigs of thyme is baking them up en papiollote, or in parchment. It’s a little packet you fold yourself from a big sheet of parchment paper. It keeps all the juices and flavors in and they get a chance to enhance each other. Before wrapping up the package I douse the fish with some really good olive oil, I used my O Blood Orange Olive Oil to emphasize the flavor. This is the minimalist version, but you can layer in veggies if you like, or cooked couscous, rice, or other grains.
You’ll arrange a layer of very thin orange slices on a sheet of parchment paper (you can also use foil.) Top the citrus with sprigs of fresh thyme, and that forms the bed for your fish fillet. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap up the parchment like a little paper packet, folding the edges to secure. You don’t need the string, I just did that for the photo 😉
It bakes in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes, and when you tear it open you’ll get a burst of steam and a wonderful aroma. The fish will be perfectly tender and moist…I like to eat it right out of the paper. You can actually eat the thin orange slices, too, if you like. My go to easy sides for this fish are frozen petite peas and couscous.
Fish with Blood Orange and Thyme in Parchment
Ingredients
- 2 fillets of fish I used trout
- 2 blood oranges
- sprigs of fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- good quality olive oil I used O Blood Orange Olive Oil
Instructions
- Set oven to 400F
- Use a mandoline slicer to slice your oranges into 1/8 inch slices. Remove any seeds.
- Arrange the slices in the middle of two large sheets of parchment paper. Overlap them out so they are about the size of your fish fillet. Top the oranges with fresh sprigs of thyme.
- Lay the fish on top of the thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle liberally with olive oil.
- Bring the two long sides of paper up around the fish and roll or fold to secure. Do the same with each end.
- Lay the packets on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. The fish will be steamed perfectly. If you are using thick pieces of fish you may want to check that it is done to your liking.
- Serve immediately sprinkled with some fresh thyme. Remove the cooked thyme if you like.
notes:
- I planned to use tilapia for this recipe, but when I got to the market the pieces of tilapia were just huge. I went with beautiful trout fillets instead. When it comes to fresh fish, keep an open mind with a recipe until you see what’s available at the market. Better to go with what looks best rather than stick to a preconceived plan. In this recipe any kind of mild white fish would work, including flounder, sole, halibut, etc. I would not use a strong fish like salmon, swordfish, or tuna because I think they would dominate the delicate flavor of the oranges. Note that if you do substitute a thicker piece of fish your cooking time may vary.
- The oranges should be finely sliced for this, and an inexpensive mandoline slicer does a fantastic job.
- Don’t stress about how to fold up the packet of parchment. The main thing is to get it closed and secure. Crunching it up like a lunch bag is fine.
- I’ve done this with slits cut in the paper and without, and I don’t notice a difference, so I don’t do it.
- Just before serving sprinkle on some fresh herbs.
32 Comments
Robert
August 15, 2018 at 8:03 pmDoes this work with any kind of fish
Sue
August 15, 2018 at 8:07 pmIt really can, the cooking time will vary if the fish is extra thick, but you can do it with anything, even whole fish. Shellfish too.
Nichole
January 3, 2018 at 8:26 pmJust made this tonight with paiche fillets, and it turned out beautifully! Thank you for the recipe — saving this one to make again 🙂
Sue
January 4, 2018 at 5:51 amThanks Nicole ~ I’ve never had paiche, I’m going to look for it!
Ann
February 24, 2017 at 1:39 pmCan I use regular orange instead of blood oranges?
Sue
February 24, 2017 at 4:16 pmAbsolutely, and lemon, too!
Cathy
January 7, 2017 at 12:31 pmCan I use frozen white fish for this?
Adina
January 12, 2016 at 9:56 amThis looks really impressive, I totally love it. And so simple on top of everything!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
January 11, 2016 at 11:36 amI love fish cooked this way and love your idea of adding citrus, especially blood oranges. Yummy.
[email protected]'s Recipes
January 11, 2016 at 10:38 amI just got a huge bag of blood oranges from ALDI!! This looks absolutely delicious and perfect for my dinner.
Sue
January 11, 2016 at 11:14 amLucky you 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
January 11, 2016 at 7:31 amAll the citrus this season has to offer makes me a very happy girl, especially all the blood oranges. Their color alone puts a smile on my face. Paired with fish, thyme and en papiollote = dinner perfection! This needs to be on my table immediately! Pinned! Cheers, my dear!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
January 11, 2016 at 6:41 amSo LOVE the blood oranges in this dish Sue! Need to try!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
January 9, 2016 at 12:32 pmSo, so beautiful and what a perfect meal! I would just want to sit and stare at it for a bit before I ate it 🙂
Susan
January 9, 2016 at 10:02 amI’m sure which I prefer, trout or salmon but they both rank very highly in this household. What a beautiful way to prepare it. Your photos are lovely!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
January 8, 2016 at 2:58 pmSo pretty and creative Sue – and that trout looks wonderful. We used to camp in Tennessee along the Tellico River. My husband and son would fish for trout early in the morning and we would have it fresh for breakfast sealed in a foil bag over an open fire. We usually used potatoes and onions but never thought to add citrus. I have to try this! I adore everything about it – especially the memories!
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 3:47 pmTrout for breakfast – I love it!
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks
January 8, 2016 at 1:20 pmI so through A LOT of parchment paper, every time I use the oven I line the baking pans with it! This is another great use of parchment paper – en papiollote! Make a healthy and yummy fish that doesn’t stick to the pan. Orange and thyme flavors go great with fish – perfect recipe!
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 3:57 pmI go through a lot of it, too Melanie, it’s pretty convenient.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
January 8, 2016 at 1:01 pmI’m working with blood oranges today, aren’t they the prettiest? I love these flavors and cooking fish in parchment is the only way to go!
Chris Scheuer
January 8, 2016 at 11:24 amOnly you could make a fish fillet look so beautiful Sue! My husband would go crazy over this. I don’t make enough fish (I think it’s due to growing up in the Midwest) and it’s his favorite thing to order at a restaurant. The kids and I always laugh and say if there’s fish on the menu, dad will be sure to order it! I definitely need to make this for him, thanks!
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 12:19 pmHah — that’s a lot better than with my husband – he always orders the most outrageous thing on the menu — brains, liver, etc. 🙂
sippitysup
January 8, 2016 at 11:02 amA work of art! GREG
genevieve @ gratitude & greens
January 8, 2016 at 10:57 amI am super hyped that it’s blood orange season again! There’s so much you can do with them. This looks lovely- happy new year, Sue! xo
guy23
January 8, 2016 at 10:36 amI used to go fly fishing with my dad in upstate New York when I was a kid. If I’d know we could do this with what we caught I might have tried a little harder! Yum!
Schatzi49
January 8, 2016 at 10:20 amJust picked some of my blood oranges and am going to a store for fish tonight!! Thanks so much for this one.
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 10:22 amHope you enjoy it, aren’t blood oranges great?
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 10:22 amWait, did you say you picked your own blood oranges? Now I’m jealous…
Schatzi49
January 8, 2016 at 6:57 pmYes I have my own blood orange also a satsuma tree in my backyard. Love being able to going out and picking the beautiful fruit. Just tried your recipe using wild rockfish filets, very good. I think the next time I will add some orange zest over the fish and there will be a next time.
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 7:28 pmGreat idea to use the zest, I should have thought of that!
Sarah | Broma Bakery
January 8, 2016 at 8:30 amA huge yes to this. Blood Orange Twins!
Sue
January 8, 2016 at 8:50 amBlood oranges are epic!