cabillaud au thym en papillote (steamed cod with thyme)

serves 4

what you need:

4 beautiful, fresh cod fillets
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
olive oil (as needed)
4 handfuls of fresh thyme sprigs
4 rectangular sheets of parchment paper
kitchen twine (as needed)

how to:

• Prepare Cod. Lay a rectangular piece of parchment paper on the counter horizontally facing you. Rub (or brush) a little olive oil on the parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place a handful of thyme sprigs on top of the oil in the center of the paper. Lay one cod fillet on top of the thyme. Rub (or brush) olive oil on top of the fillet and season with salt and pepper. 

• Fold Parchment. Create a seal in the parchment paper by grabbing the top and bottom edges and holding them together. Fold the edges over, away from you, about ½” from the top.  Repeat and make an second fold. Let the parchment paper collapse over the fish with the folded seam on top. Grab the right hand side of the paper and tie it closed  with the kitchen twine (tightly so no steam escapes). Repeat for the left side. Place the parchment packet on a rimmed baking sheet or an oven-proof pan. Repeat for the other three fillets.

• Steam.  Place the baking sheet or oven-proof pan in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius or gas mark 6).  Cook until the parchment paper puffs up and the paper has browned (about 14 minutes). Carefully remove from the oven.

• Serve. Carefully remove the parchment packages from baking sheet or the pan. You can place one parchment package each guest’s plate and cut the package open in front of your guest. Alternatively, you can remove the fillets from the parchment in the kitchen and plate the fillets there.