It was my lucky day. After school, a teacher asked me if I had dinner plans. I did not. She asked if I would like some fresh steelhead fillets. Her husband, a fishing guide, had brought some in. His clients did not want the steelhead they had caught! I immediately texted Craig the good news. He was not working tonight, and I think he was excited about cooking them. He texted me back, "I'm gonna do something awesome with it. I could cry tears of joy right now!" Yep, pretty sure he was excited.
When I brought the fish home, he had a plan. He would prepare Steelhead en Papillote (in Parchment). He started by cutting a piece of parchment in a heart shape. He placed finely diced shallots on one side and poured a bit of white wine over them.
Next came the fish fillet. I believe he seasoned it with salt, garlic powder and a little fresh rosemary, then topped it with a little splash of white wine.
Then he folded the other half over and pinch-pleated it neatly together, anchoring it closed with a couple of toothpicks.
The packets were placed in the oven to bake until they reached the appropriate temperature, which was determined by a digital thermometer. While they baked, he prepared a Beurre Blanc Sauce (translated White Wine Butter Sauce). This is a mixture of shallots, vinegar, white wine and butter. It was beautiful to behold...but the fish took a little longer than expected to bake, so the sauce broke and lost it's beautiful white appearance. It remained quite delicious, however. Here are the packets out of the oven.
The finished dinner: a little Buerre Blanc Sauce drizzled over the steelhead, rice cooked with a bit of fresh rosemary, sauteed green beans with garlic. The steelhead was moist and seasoned beautifully. It was the kind of meal you want to make last as long as possible. (Also one where you really don't want to even try to calculate the Weight Watcher points!) This was my plate. The men's plates contained larger portions of everything!
When the fish came out of the oven smelling fantastic, in his usual modest quiet way Craig said, "I believe this is going to be a poetic experience for us!" I'll be glad to experience that kind of poetry any day!
I had never heard of Fish en Papillote or Buerre Blanc Sauce before, but I look forward to experiencing it again....especially if Will ever gets that boat he keeps talking about!
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