Fish en Papillote with Beans, Greens & Anchovy Butter Sauce

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon anchovy paste (could also use one canned anchovy filet, bones removed & finely chopped)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Parchment paper, cut into 4 rectangles, about 13” x 9”

A bit of olive oil, for brushing parchment

1 pound cooked navy beans (or 1 can) (I used chickpeas in the photos, but I prefer the milder taste of white beans for this recipe. Use whatever beans you have, either canned or leftovers.)

Several handfuls (about 120g) of greens (like collards, kale or spinach), stems removed & cut into quarters

¼ cup green olives, pitted and chopped

4 fillets of firm white-fleshed fish (I use halibut, but you could also use cod or haddock, just be sure to adjust the cooking time)

½ lemon, cut into thin slices

½ lemon, cut into thin slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, add the melted butter, anchovy paste, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Lay out the parchment rectangles and brush the middle of each with oil. Dividing between each parchment rectangle, spread the beans out roughly in the shape of the fish fillets (so that the long sides of the parchment paper will run parallel to the long sides of the fish), then layer on the greens and top with half of the olives.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the anchovy butter sauce on each pile of vegetables and top with the fish fillets. Divide the rest of the anchovy butter sauce between the parcels, spooning it over the tops of the fish. (If this is too messy, wait until you fold the parcels and then spoon the rest of the anchovy butter inside). Sprinkle remaining olives over the fish and finish each parcel with a few lemon slices.

Fold the parchment paper around the fish and vegetables to make 4 little parcels. This doesn’t need to be perfect, as long as the ingredients are contained in the parchment and there is a gap at the top of the parcel. I fold in the long sides up around the fish, leaving a small gap, and then fold in the short sides, tucking the ends of the short sides underneath the parcels. If you don’t want to be bothered fiddling with this, you could use foil instead – though they won’t be as pretty for serving.

Arrange parcels on a baking sheet and cook until the centre of the fish reaches 145F, the flesh is no longer translucent and is easily flaked with a fork - about 20 minutes. (The timing will vary, depending on the fish you used and the thickness of the fillets. Use a meat thermometer and start checking the fish for doneness after 10-15 minutes).

Serve with rice, or baked, roasted or mashed potatoes.