When a fish is baked whole, especially in parchment paper (papillote), something magical happens. The French call this little feast Poisson en Papillote, and it’s often made with spinach, potatoes, peppers and fennel. All the succulent flavors stay inside the parchment bag, keeping the fish moist and marinating in its own juices. Like any other creature, the meat closest to the bone has the most flavor.
The fish nearest in flavor to those used in Marseille for this meal, in our California waters, is our native rockfish. And of all the California rockfish, the most exquisite is the Vermillion Red Rockfish. It is bright red orange to flaming red, usually three to five pounds, perfect in size for a baked fish. We prefer this rockfish for this feast, as well as for the wok fried whole fish in our recipe for Sizzling Szechuan Whole fish. Rebekah developed this recipe after years of combining elements from several different recipes in Daniel Young’s cookbook Made in Marseille.
Herbs and spices of Provence, and aromatic vegetables, can be incorporated within the fish itself with slits along the sides and stuffed inside the body cavity. There is no other meal quite like this one in terms of elegance and simplicity. And you don’t have to be a fisherman to enjoy it, just ask your local fish department to prepare for you a whole fish… they will be glad to do it. Sure, there are bones involved, it’s a fish, but you can easily peel back the filets from the bones with a fork. And when you taste the difference, you will be a happy resident, albeit a bit removed, of the ancient and legendary seaside port city of Marseille. Enjoy with a Rosé from Provence.
Ingredients
1 whole three to five pound rockfish, (or Red Snapper, even catfish works well) cleaned, scaled, and gills removed
10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 stick of butter
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 pound fresh baby spinach
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced
1 whole large fresh fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms or oyster mushrooms
2 tablespoons Pernod Pastis ( a crucial flavor)
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil (we prefer Spanish oil for this meal)
1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste
Prep Work
Make three slits on both sides of the fish, to the rib cage, salt well, and stuff with butter and rosemary sprigs. Add to the fish’s cavity the remaining butter, two whole crushed garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs. Generously salt and pepper both sides and slather with olive oil.
Cooking
Sear fish for 2-3 minutes on each side, on medium-high heat on the grill or in a large cast iron skillet on the stove. Use tongs to turn and remove from heat.
Blanch potatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms and fennel in a large skillet in olive oil and butter. Transfer to double sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and drizzle with Pastis. Add a couple of rosemary sprigs for the aroma of Provence.
Place seared fish on top of blanched vegetables, which are lying on parchment paper. Squeeze lemon over fish and vegetables.
Fold the parchment paper into a sealed bag, poke a few holes on top with a fork, place in a pre-heated oven and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool. Sauté baby spinach in olive oil and crushed garlic. Serve on top of the fish.
Your family and friends will always remember this aromatic and authentic French inspired feast.
