Fish & Vegetable Parcels with Blood Orange Gastrique
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Good Health Gourmet
Recipe type: Seafood, Dinner, Special Occasion
Cuisine: Modern Californian
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- For Gastrique:
- 80g (¼ cup) honey¹
- 150ml (½ cup + 2 Tbsp) white wine vinegar
- Zest of 2 blood oranges
- 85 ml (⅓ cup) blood orange juice² (from 2 oranges)
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
- ⅛ tsp salt
- For Parcels:
- 25 ml (1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 10 ml (2 tsp) gluten-free worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 tsp minced or finely grated garlic
- ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- ½ small fennel bulb, core removed, fronds reserved
- One leek (8 oz), white and light green parts only, washed well
- 4 small (golf ball-size) gold or pink beets, washed and peeled
- 1 blood orange or Cara Cara
- 3 oz beet tops or other greens, washed & dried
- Two thick³ 6-ounce fillets of firm white fish such as halibut or cod
- 2 small young carrots⁴, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp finely chopped chives
- Chopped fennel fronds
- Equipment Needed:
- 2 sheets 12x18 parchment paper
- Butcher’s twine
Procedure
- Make Gastrique: In a small non-reactive saucepan, heat honey over medium-low heat until the color darkens to a deep amber, about five minutes. (The honey will foam quite a bit, so stick close to the stove and swirl the pan or remove it from the heat for a few seconds if it's really bubbling up). Add vinegar, increase heat to medium, and cook at a bare simmer until reduced by about half, about five more minutes. Add orange zest, orange juice, and Aleppo pepper, and simmer until reduced to a thin syrup that coats the back of a spoon, 8-10 minutes (it will thicken further as it cools, and eventually reach a consistency that's slightly thicker than maple syrup). Remove from heat, pass through a fine mesh strainer into a glass jar, add salt, and shake or swirl to dissolve. Gastrique will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
- Prepare remaining ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together 25 ml (1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) of the olive oil, the worcestershire, ginger, garlic, Aleppo pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cut fennel into thin slices, and add to bowl with marinade. Slice leek into thin rings and add to bowl with fennel. Cut beets into thin half moons (no thicker than ¼ inch) and add to bowl as well. Toss vegetables to coat with marinade and set aside.
- Cut orange in half, and cut one half into very thin slices (no thicker than ⅛ inch). Squeeze juice from remaining half into bowl with vegetables, tossing to distribute.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Assemble packets: Stack two 12x18 sheets of parchment on work surface. Spread or brush a very light and even coating of olive oil in the center of the top sheet. Place half the greens in the middle, and top with one or two orange slices. Scatter half of the vegetable mixture over the greens in a single layer. Pat fillets dry, brush with a very light coat of olive oil, and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rest one fillet in the center of the vegetables, and lay 1-2 orange slices over the top. Stack two carrot halves crosswise on the fillet, and top with a sprig of thyme. Slide this sheet off to the side and repeat with remaining sheet and ingredients. Drizzle remaining marinade from vegetable bowl over the two portions, dividing evenly.
- Close and bake parcels: Pull together the sides of parchment with the least free space (likely the top and bottom) up and over the center of the ingredients, and pinch together as you gather in the other sides. Bunch all the paper together over the middle so there are no gaps, and twist gently to tighten. Secure firmly with a piece of butcher's twine, knotting to ensure it stays closed. Repeat with second parcel.
- Transfer parcels to a sheet pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
- Serve: Use a large spatula to transfer each packet to a dinner plate, and cut off the top of the parcels just below the twine with a pair of kitchen shears or scissors. (Keep your face away from the plate to avoid hot steam as it escapes.) Fold back edges of paper, or trim away excess if paper still reaches far beyond rim of plate. Garnish with a sprinkle of chives and fennel fronds, and drizzle with gastrique.
Notes
¹Use a relatively mild honey such as clover or orange blossom.
²If blood oranges are unavailable, substitute Cara Caras. If substituting Cara Caras you may only need 1 since they are typically much larger and yield more juice.
³I recommend meaty, uniform fillets that are at least 1 ¼ inches thick so they cook properly in the allotted time.
⁴The parcels will only be in the oven for 15 minutes, so the carrots need to be small/thin. If you only have access to thick carrots, either shave them down with a peeler until they're no more than ¾ inch in diameter at the thickest part, or simply use one carrot and cut it lengthwise into quarters.
²If blood oranges are unavailable, substitute Cara Caras. If substituting Cara Caras you may only need 1 since they are typically much larger and yield more juice.
³I recommend meaty, uniform fillets that are at least 1 ¼ inches thick so they cook properly in the allotted time.
⁴The parcels will only be in the oven for 15 minutes, so the carrots need to be small/thin. If you only have access to thick carrots, either shave them down with a peeler until they're no more than ¾ inch in diameter at the thickest part, or simply use one carrot and cut it lengthwise into quarters.
Recipe by Good Health Gourmet at https://goodhealthgourmet.com/fish-vegetable-parcels-blood-orange-gastrique/