A Mess-Free Way to Roast Fish
Parchment-Roasted Red Snapper with Tomatoes & Zucchini (Photo: The Yellow Table by Anna Watson Carl)
Serves 4 | Serve with Haricots Verts with Dijon Vinaigrette
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare fish, because it’s so light, easy, and flavorful—not to mention beautiful! You can make the parchment packages several hours in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready. Feel free to use any type of squash or zucchini, though baby zucchini are especially cute.
• 2 small summer squash, thinly sliced into rounds (I usually use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash)
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) fillets red snapper (or other thin fillets, such as tile fish, tilapia, redfish, or trout)
• 20 red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup dry white wine, divided
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups cooked couscous,* for serving
• Fresh, chopped basil, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Tear off 4 sheets of parchment paper, each about the size of a standard sheet of paper.
Place 1 piece of parchment paper on a clean workspace. Arrange ¼ of the zucchini slices in the center of the parchment, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place one fish fillet on top. Scatter with ¼ of the tomatoes, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the wine, season to taste with salt and pepper, and top with 2 sprigs of thyme. Fold the parchment lengthwise over the fish, then roll each end towards the center. Press each side down to secure. Place the packet on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining parchment and ingredients. If the parchment packages won’t stay closed, you can flip them over. Bake until the snapper is cooked through and beginning to flake, about 10 minutes. Remove the fish from the oven and carefully open the parchment packages—beware of the steam!
To serve, spoon ½ cup couscous on each plate and top with zucchini and 1 snapper fillet, then spoon the tomatoes and any sauce from the parchment package on top of each. Garnish with fresh, chopped basil. Season with additional sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.
* Eliminate the couscous if you have a gluten sensitivity, or use quinoa instead.
Reprinted with permission from The Yellow Table published in 2015 by Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. © Anna Watson Carl. Photography by Signe Birck
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