Coastal elites
Seafood perfect for beachy summer days
A meal you can prepare completely in advance is appreciated year-round, but particularly during the easygoing months of summer.
New England fisherwoman Jennifer Trainer Thompson likes to wrap up fillets of any white, lean, firm fish in parchment paper along with some seasoning, and refrigerate them until it’s time to bake. If you have a basil plant handy, your fish will taste particularly good. Just stack fresh basil leaves together, roll them up, and use a sharp knife to create long, thin strips.
Thompson’s book, Fresh Fish: A Fearless Guide to Grilling, Shucking, Searing, Poaching and Roasting Seafood (Storey Publishing), takes the reader up and down the East Coast, offering 175 well-written recipes.
Beach-scene photos show delectable seafood meals underway, and this excellent book includes all the basic techniques needed for fish cookery, as well as lively anecdotes of coastal life.
SOLE EN PAPILLOTE Serves: 4
4 fillets (4 to 6 oz/ 125 to 175 g each) of sole, haddock, halibut, pollock or flounder
½ tsp (2 mL) each kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely sliced fresh basil
1 pint (2 cups/500 mL) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Spread out four 12-inch (30-cm) sheets of parchment paper and fold each in half.
2. Arrange one fish fillet on each sheet of parchment paper on one side of the fold line. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Arrange basil, tomatoes and onions on each fillet.
3. Fold the parchment paper closed around the fish into tightly sealed packets. Set packets on a baking sheet. (At this point, packets may be refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
4. Bake fish in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until packets are puffed and golden. Serve, taking care when opening packets not to be burned by the steam.