Prince in the Pauper

Yes, I wrote the title correctly. I didn't mean the Prince and the Pauper.

This was the first time I cooked fish in parchment paper and I am so surprised about how easy and delicious it was. It was definitely a prince inside paper.

I have been reading about parchment paper fish for a while and I learned about three different techniques. I decided that it would be smart to start with easiest way, so all I did this time was staple my parchment square together.

I know I will cook parchment fish again, and next time I will be more adventurous with my technique. Stapling was easy and I will try it again, but I want to try out all the ways and see which one is best for me.

Asian Parchment Fish

4 pieces of white fish, fresh or defrosted
Zest from one orange
Juice from half of one orange
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Asian vinegar
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cut out four squares of parchment.

2. Combine orange zest, juice, soy sauce, oil, and vinegar in a small bowl.

3. Divide spinach into four even amounts and place one pile on one half of each of the pieces of parchment. Top with a piece of fish and a pile of tomatoes. Finally spoon an even amount of the sauce on top of each piece of fish.

4. Fold the parchment into an envelope and staple it closed to seal everything in. Place each package onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Cooking in parchment helps to steam the fish so it cooks faster than if you were cooking in only a baking dish.

5. Cut open a package and check to see if the fish is opaque and flakes apart when touched with a fork.

6. Enjoy with a side of rice or orzo.