Parchment-cooked Fish With Morels, Spring Garlic, And Thyme

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 pound fresh morel mushrooms
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 (6 ounce) pacific halibut fillets
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, or as needed
• 4 12x20-inch pieces of parchment paper

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 1 hr


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
• place morel mushrooms in a dry skillet over medium heat and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their juice and the juice evaporates, about 5 minutes.
• sprinkle halibut fillets with salt and black pepper on both sides.
• heat butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and cook the halibut fillets until golden brown on the outside, about 2 minutes per side. remove fish from skillet and set aside.
• cook and stir garlic scapes in the same skillet used to cook fish until fragrant, about 1 minute. remove pan from heat and stir morel mushrooms and thyme with the garlic scapes until combined.
• fold a piece of parchment paper in half crosswise. use scissors to cut a very large valentine-like heart shape out of the folded paper, as large as possible. repeat with remaining parchment to make 4 large heart shapes.
• open the heart shapes; brush right sides of the hearts with canola oil.
• place 1/4 morel mushroom mixture in the left (unoiled) half of each heart. place a halibut fillet on the mushroom mixture. sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper.
• fold the oiled right half of the heart over the fish. fold about 1/4 inch of parchment paper over, starting at the rounded end, and work your way down to the point, folding as you go. fold the edge over a second time to enclose fish and mushrooms in a bundle with a double-folded, sealed edge.
• leave about 1/4 inch of the bottom point unfolded.
• use a straw inserted into the open bottom to blow air into the bundle, making it puff up like a small balloon. twist the bottom closed to enclose the air.
• place parchment bundles on 2 baking sheets; don't let the bundles touch each other.
• bake in the preheated oven until fish is no longer translucent in the center, about 15 minutes.
• to serve, plate each portion and carefully cut open the parchment to reveal the fish, mushrooms, and juices. bundle will release hot steam when opened.