Michelle Palmer: Healthy way of cooking savory trout (recipe)

A German brown trout: I was gifted a beautiful fish last week from angler Dave Millingar a.k.a. “The Fish Whisperer.”

I asked Dave where he caught it and what he used. Dave said he caught it in Wall Canyon and used a Copper John Fly. Dave makes and teaches how to make flies and he is a retired railroad conductor.

Back in the day our family had a boat, and we did go fishing. I always used waterdogs, night crawlers, or my favorite pink bazooka bubble gum at Lake Powell which really would tee off my former father-in-law because he was a guide fisherman at Lake Powell. I never did learn how to make flies for fishing.

So… of course I cooked it for my fiancé for Father’s Day. My favorite healthy way of cooking savory is “en papillote.” I have done some sweets this way. Over the years I have made so many things with this technique.

A beggar’s purse is traditionally done with pastry. However, I have cut a circle of parchment paper, stuffed it, and tied it with cooking string for an interesting look on en papillote. It is a great surprise on the plate because it is a package to open under your nose. When it is clipped open or untied, the aroma goes straight for the nose at the table.

This technique steams and infuses flavor into the fish. Very clean way of cooking. My mantra is really the three Bs – bake, broil, boil with an “S” for steam.

Ingredients

1 – 12- to 14-inch per person gutted, cleaned whole brown trout

3-4 1/8-inch-thick slices of fresh lemon

1-3 sprigs fresh dill

1-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1-2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Sea salt to taste

18 x 13-inch parchment paper per fish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Fold parchment paper in half lengthwise. Lay fish back along the fold line. Salt and pepper fish inside and out, on all sides and drizzle olive oil inside and out.

Open fish belly and lay fresh dill, thyme, and rosemary. Top herbs with lemon like a deck of cards fanned and close the fish. Bring the top part of the parchment paper over the fish working from left to right making small folds 1 inch at a time to seal the fish inside the envelope, pressing down with a tight fold each time until the fish is sealed inside the parchment paper.

Lay the envelope on an edged baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes (internal temperature should be 130 – 140 degrees and flake easily). Remember food continues to cook after removing from oven.

Michelle Palmer is owner of Absolutely Michelle’s Chef-for-Hire.