Great Recipes - Sea Bass en Papillote Recipe

  
 

Sea Bass en Papillote Recipe

 

Ingredients

  • 4 small sea bass, gutted

  • 130g/4 1/2 oz generous 1/2 cup butter

  • 450g/1 lb spinach

  • 3 shallots, finely chopped

  • 60ml/4 tbsp white wine

  • 4 bay leaves

  • salt and ground black pepper

  • new potatoes and glazed carrots, to serve

Serves 4

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Season both the inside and outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Melt 50g/2 oz of the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the spinach. Cook gently until the spinach has broken down into a smooth puree. Set a side to cool.

  2. Melt another 50g/2 oz of the butter in a clean pan and add the shallots. Gently sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add to the spinach and leave to cool.

  3. Stuff the insides of the fish with the spinach filling.

  4. For each fish, fold a large sheet of greaseproof paper in half and cut around the fish laid n one half, to make a heart shape when unfolded. It should be at least 5cm/2 in larger than the fish. Melt the remaining butter and brush a little on to the paper. Set the fish on one side of the paper.

  5. Add a little wine and a bay leaf to each package.

  6. Fold the other side of the paper over the fish and make small pleats to seal the two edges, starting at the curve of the heart. Brush the outsides with butter.

  7. Transfer the packages to a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the packages are brown. Serve with new potatoes and glazed carrots.