A few years ago, my mom’s brother Hemant—a fitness fanatic, and an engineer by training—discovered the en papillote method of cooking, in which you seal the food in a parchment or foil pouch before baking it in order to retain moisture and flavor. He fell in love with this technique, and putting his analytical mind to work, he experimented with at least twenty different seasoning combinations (RIP, Cheez-It Fish). This one is my all-time favorite, because it’s ridiculously simple. The main ingredient is the chopped-up peel of a single clementine—or as Hemant calls the fruit, a “virtually zero-calorie snack”—but that single peel lends an insane amount of texture and aroma to the fish, without any of the bitterness. Hemant loves using sea bass, because it’s thick and buttery, but it is expensive. I feel strongly that this is a worthwhile splurge (and if you buy it frozen, it’s not so outrageous), but feel free to use the white fish of your choice, like cod or haddock.
Serves 4
1 Place the fish on a paper towel and pat dry.
2 In a small bowl, stir together the oil, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chile, and salt into a paste. Using half the paste, coat one side of each fillet.
3 Spread a 2-foot sheet of foil out on the counter. Place all the fish fillets on one half of the foil, paste-side down. Coat the other side of the fillets with the remaining paste, making sure to evenly cover the entire surface area of the fish. Evenly sprinkle the clementine peel over the top of each fillet. Fold the other half of the foil over the fish, then fold each side over three times to seal the foil into a pouch. Refrigerate the pouch for 30 minutes.
4 Preheat the oven to 450°F.
5 Transfer the pouch to a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets, then turn off the oven and let the fish sit in the oven for 1 minute more—the pouch should have puffed up at this point.
6 Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pouch cool down for a minute, then unseal the sides of the pouch (be careful of the hot steam inside!). Serve each fillet with a lime wedge for spritzing, and spoon the juices from the foil pouch over the top.