Haddock En Papillote, a French technique of baking fish in parchment paper, has become my new favourite hands-off way to cook haddock fillets. This one is similar to my Salmon Al Cartoccio recipe, but instead of salmon it uses a firm white fish like haddock. It sounds fancy but is actually insanely easy!
En Papillote means "baked in paper" in French. It's similar to the Al Cartoccio method in Italian. It's said that papillote comes from the French word for butterfly, but how butterflies became associated with this classic French culinary technique is beyond me.
The beauty of cooking en papillote is that it preserves all the natural flavors of the ingredients while keeping everything moist. The juices from the fish, along with the fresh aromas of the lemons and veggies, all stay sealed inside the papillote as it bakes.
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Ingredients + Substitutions
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Haddock En Papillote recipe:
Fish Fillets: Surprise! You aren’t limited to haddock. I love the mild sweet flavour of haddock, but any firm white fish fillet will do. Cod, rockfish, halibut, pompano, and mahi-mahi are all good options here.
Vegetables: Mix and match your veggies. Carrots and broccoli are my preferred combination. But you can switch up because many veggies pair nicely with steamed haddock. I like spinach, green beans, snap peas, and Brussels sprouts.
Garlic: Use two cloves of garlic per fillet. Haddock fillets tend to take on flavours well, so you want to make sure to get a bit of garlic in every bite.
Lemon: Fresh lemon slices make a nice bed for the haddock to rest on, giving it a fresh flavour with a touch of acidity.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A good extra virgin olive oil should be used sparingly, only for lightly flavoured dishes that allow olive oil’s subtle notes to shine through. This recipe is one of them!
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions
Step 1. Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 °F. On your kitchen counter, spread out a large sheet of parchment paper, big enough to easily fold over both haddock fillets.
Step 2. Thinly slice lemon and lay it on the top half of the parchment paper. Rub salt and pepper over haddock on all sides. Arrange the haddock on top of the lemon slices.
Step 3. Julienne carrot and cut broccoli into florets. Spread the julienned carrots over the haddock fillets and nestle the broccoli around the fillets.
Step 4. Mince garlic and sprinkle it over the haddock. Drizzle olive oil over the fillets.
Step 5. Fold the bottom half of the parchment sheet up over the top half so that it covers the fish.
Step 6. Starting at one corner, crease the paper together and continue all the way up the seam so that it forms a dumpling-shaped packet that securely holds the fillets inside.
Step 7. Bake or air fry the paper packet for 10 to 12 minutes. When done, remove it from the oven and let stand for about a minute until it is cool enough to unwrap.
Step 8. Open up the paper packet and transfer the haddock and vegetables to plates. Squeeze extra lemon juice on top if desired.
Storage Tips
Fridge: Store cooked haddock in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Freezer: Leftover haddock en papillote can be frozen for up to three months.
What to Serve with Haddock En Papillote
These are my favorite sides to serve with parchment steamed haddock:
Other Seafood Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating and comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Haddock En Papillote
Equipment
- 1 large sheet of parchment paper
- Oven or air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 fillets haddock, cod, or rockfish
- 1 lemon
- 1 small carrot
- 1 cup broccoli
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400 °F. On your kitchen counter, spread out a large sheet of parchment paper, big enough to easily fold over both fish fillets.
- Thinly slice 1 lemon and lay it on the top half of the parchment paper.
- Rub ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper over 2 fillets haddock, cod, or rockfish on all sides. Lay the fish on top of the lemon slices.
- Mince 4 cloves garlic and sprinkle it over the fillets.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil all over the fish.
- Julienne 1 small carrot and cut 1 cup broccoli into florets. Spread the julienned carrots over the haddock fillets and nestle the broccoli around the fillets.
- Take the bottom half of the parchment sheet and fold it up to the top half so that it fully covers the haddock fillets. Starting at one corner, crease the paper together and continue all the way up the seam so that it forms a dumpling-shaped packet that securely holds the fillets inside. (See step-by-step photos in the post above.)
- Bake or air fry the haddock for 10 to 12 minutes. Unwrap the paper packet and transfer the haddock and vegetables to plates. Squeeze extra lemon juice on top if desired.
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