Need a new go-to meal, low in calories and long in flavor? Here’s your quick and easy dinner after a long day’s work. Dolphin in parchment paper with bright and gorgeous vegetables takes about 10-15 minutes to assemble then 30 minutes in the oven. This dish will fill your kitchen with a mouth-watering fragrance and is supremely satisfying. Being low in calories is especially welcome during the holidays. And I find if I have a healthful, filling meal I tend to lean towards grapes or a few apple slices for dessert. This recipe is fabulously forgiving in that pretty much all the vegetables may be substituted to please your guests or family. The potato slices may be left out entirely. Don’t like zucchini? Fat, crunchy asparagus spears work just as well in their place. Don’t have any fresh tomatoes on hand? Chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil work beautifully. Fresh basil can easily be replaced with fresh thyme, tarragon or rosemary. And if you’ve cut up all your lemons for the bar, feel free to zest a lime over the fish. Some folks don’t care for tapenade or olive spread. If you’re one of these people, how about pesto in its place? The broth from the vegetables and fish mixed with the juices of the olive spread is of the gods. And, last, let’s talk about the fish. If you don’t have mahi-mahi, another name for dolphin, use salmon, snapper, cod, tuna or grouper. This is one easy, forgiving meal, people. My parchment paper measures about 12X16″. I lightly cover the paper with non-stick spray and quickly stack the vegetables ending with the fish fillets and lemon zest. After a drizzle of olive oil, a shake of salt and freshly cracked pepper, the parchment paper is creased in half with the fish and vegetables sitting in the middle of the bottom half of paper.
To finish the open sides are folded, doubled-up and pinched closed towards the fish. Placed on a baking sheet and slid into the oven, you’ll now have a fabulous dinner ready to be enjoyed in 30 minutes. Snaps to you.
Dolphin and Vegetables in Parchment Paper
- 2 4-5 ounce dolphin fillets, fresh or thawed
- 4 large potato slices, 1/8″ thick, you only need 1 potato
- 1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 4 equal slices
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 small tomatoes, both sliced into 4 equal slices
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves
- 8-10 teaspoons olive spread
- the zest of one lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- a little olive oil to drizzle over the fish
- Pre-heat oven to 400°.
- Fold 2 12X16″ pieces of parchment paper in half lengthwise, place on a baking sheet and open both pieces of paper.
- Spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray and lay 2 potato slices, alongside the middle crease of the paper.
- On each packet place 2 slices of zucchini lengthwise over the potato slices.
- Over the zucchini continue stacking the onion, tomato and basil in equal amounts between the two bundles.
- Drop 4-5 teaspoons of olive spread lengthwise on the basil then top each stack with the fish fillets.
- Scatter equal amounts of fresh lemon zest along with the salt and pepper over each fillet.
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the fillets.
- Fold over the other half of the parchment paper and begin to crimp and fold in the open sides beginning either on the top or bottom.
- Place the baking sheet with the fish packets into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Carefully tear open the top of the packets and slide the entire contents into a shallow soup or pasta bowl including any broth.
- Serve immediately.
The Irreverent Kitchen 