fish en papillote with tomatoes and olives

I realize this dish is never going to win a beauty pageant. But trust me on this: the quick preparation, fun presentation, and fresh taste definitely make up for that. This fish truly takes just minutes to pull together, which means that if you pair it with a simple salad, you'll have a complete, healthy meal in less than half an hour. Plus, thanks to the ease of the parchment paper, you can count of one hand the number of dishes you'll dirty in the process. Oh, and it's the ideal light dinner to showcase those glorious homegrown/farmers' market tomatoes of late summer. A fabulous "garment" and bathing-suit-fit? Well, maybe it does deserve a pageant crown and sash.

Note: I used cod instead of red snapper, because that is what I had on hand. I think most any white fish would be good.

Fish en Papillote with Tomatoes and Olives
Yield 4 servings

4 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets (1-inch-thick), skinned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices (from 3-4 medium tomatoes)
12 Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
zest from 1/2 orange, removed with a microplane grater
4 fresh herb springs, such as sage, thyme, or parsley

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Cut four 12x15 inch sheets of parchment paper. Fold each sheet crosswise in half to crease, then unfold. Set aside.

Drain fish on double layer of paper towels, making sure any excess moisture is absorbed by the paper. Season fish with salt and pepper and put 1 fillet to the right of the crease on each sheet. Top each fillet with 3 tomato slices, 1/4 of olives, 1/8 tsp red pepper lakes, 1/4 each of butter and zest, and 1 herb spring. Starting at one corner of crease, fold edge of parchment over in triangles (each fold should overlap previous one), following a semicircular path around the fillet, smoothing out folds as you go and tucking last fold under to seal papillote completely.

Heat a large baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.

Put papillotes on hot baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes.

To serve, transfer packets to four plates; with a knife, slit top of each packet and tear it to expose fish. Slide fish and sauce onto plates and discard paper.

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook 

pecan encrusted white fish

I didn't grow up eating pecans - my dad dislikes the very thought of them (along with sour cream, cottage cheese, and cranberries), which means my mom didn't even bother to keep them in the house. But oh dear, do I love them now! Rich and buttery, they're just.so.good in cakes, pies, cookies, salads, turkey stuffing, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera (The King and I, anyone?).

While my favorite pecan dishes are of the sweet treat variety, those lovely indulgences are out of the question for me right now. You see, one of my very best friends in the entire universe, Lauren (affectionately known as Lolo), is getting married in 27 days, and I am incredibly honored to stand by her side on that special day in a snazzy 'Italian Plum' number that even Cinderella would be jealous of...in front of 300 people. Translation? Decreased sweets and increased treadmill for the month. Er, except or the butter pecan ice cream I had at Eastern Market this afternoon with my bff...oops. ;-)

Enter: pecan-crusted fish - a guilt-free way to savor those yummy nuts in a lean protein-rich dish. Taking just a few minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook, it can then easily be thrown on a salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Voilà! The perfect - bridesmaid dress approved - lunch or light dinner.

Pecan Encrusted Haddock
Yield: 4 servings

1 lb of wild-caught white fish (I used haddock but halibut, tilapia, or mahi-mahi would all be wonderful, and the original recipe actually called for salmon.)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
3 tsp cilantro, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Rinse off the fish and cut into 4 filets if necessary. Salt and pepper each side and place in a single layer, skin side down, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, butter, vinegar, and honey/agave nectar.

In a separate bowl, mix together the pecans and cilantro. Stir in about 2 tsp of the mustard sauce and mix until blended.

Brush the remainder of the mustard sauce evenly over the fish. Spoon the pecan mixture over the sauce, lightly pressing to help it adhere.

Bake for 10 minutes or until transparent and flaky.

Adapted from The Delicious Philosophy

pan-roasted fish with avocado-pineapple salsa

One of my favorite things about fish dishes is how fast they can come together. Take this meal, for example. Cutting board to dinner plate = about 30 minutes. You can't beat that for a homemade meal.

Nor can you beat the taste of this dish. When one of my favorite food bloggers posted the recipe this past winter, I knew I had to try it. Now I'm wondering what took me so long to actually do it. Light and fresh and full of tropical flavor thanks to the salsa, this meal is perfect for these ridiculously warm summer nights when the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove for hours. As a bonus, any leftover salsa would be fabulous with a big bowl of chips...though I wouldn't count on having any leftovers...

Pan-Roasted Fish with Avocado-Pineapple Salsa

2  avocados, diced small
2 cups finely diced pineapple
1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 2 limes*
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 white fish fillets (5-6 oz each)
1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F. (Note: Depending on the thickness of your fish, you may not need to bake it at all. Mine cooked all the way through in the time it took to brown each side.)

In a medium bowl, gently toss together the pineapple, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large oven-safe pan until very hot, but not smoking.  Carefully place the fish in a single layer in the pan.  Allow to cook, without moving them, for 1-2 minutes, or until they are very light golden-brown. Very carefully flip the fish with a spatula.

Remove the pan from heat and transfer it to the oven.  Cook 5-7 minutes, or until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork.  The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the fish, so start checking it around 4-5 minutes.

To serve, top each piece of fish with salsa.

*I used a heavy splash of red wine vinegar rather than lime juice. After all, limes are first cousins to lemons...