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Another great recipe prepared for us by Chef Julia Mark! MasterChef Canada finalist and Food Network Canada’s Wall of Chef contestant

Steamed fish always reminds me of what my mom makes at home and what they serve in Chinese restaurants. It’s usually a whole fish like rock cod or tilapia that has been steamed. Soy sauce, green onions and ginger on top, then hot oil is poured all over. The oil sizzles everything and mixes with all the juices and the soy sauce. It is to DIE FOR on top of rice! Ahhh memories… this has inspired to make own version of this!

No matter your schedule, you will have time to make this! I’m all about quick weeknight dinners because who has time to fuss in the kitchen after a day at work. I cooked this using the method “en papillote”. This French term just refers to cooking your food in a parchment envelope. It’s an elegant way to cook delicate proteins like fish, chicken or vegetables. It seals in the moisture and infuses flavour all in one package. Check out this video on how to do it!

I wanted the star of this dish to be matsutake mushrooms (aka pine mushrooms). I received some from Kenwest Trading that I’ve mentioned in previous posts. They are foraged right here in B.C. and they are sold frozen to preserve the freshness and flavour. The unique scent and taste of these mushrooms is delicious and the meaty texture makes it a great option for vegetarians or vegans.

I chose seabass because I love the buttery texture of it. Feel free to use any kind of fish you would like. Just keep in mind that the cooking time will change. The fillets I had were quite thin, probably 1/2 an inch thick. Also to save time, ask your fish monger to scale it and fillet it for you.

Servings: 2

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 fillets of seabass

8 pieces of sliced matsutake mushrooms

2 tsp grapeseed oil

2 tsp lemon zest

green onions

cilantro

2 Tbs grapeseed oil

2 Tbs Ginger Infusion Soy Sauce

1 clove garlic

Salt

Pepper

Method

1) Pre-heat your oven to 325F

2) Prepare your parchment paper by folding a large piece in half and then cutting it into a heart shape. Half of that heart should be big enough to fit both fillets or you could do two separate smaller packages.

2) Drizzle 2 tsp of grapeseed oil onto parchment paper and disperse it evenly. Pat your fish fillets dry and place them skin side down on the centre of your parchment paper.

3) Sprinkle on the lemon zest and season lightly with salt and pepper.

4) Rinse your mushrooms under cold running water. They come frozen and they should be prepared while still in the frozen state. Do not let them thaw.

5) Lay them across to cover the fillets.

6) Fold pleats in the parchment moving along the edge of the heart to seal it.

7) Place on a baking sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes on the middle rack depending how thick your fillets are.

8) Remove from the oven and immediately cut open the packages.

9) Gently heat 2 Tbs of grapeseed oil in a pan.

10) Chop up green onions into strips and sprinkle that on top of the mushrooms along with some cilantro. You can add some thinly sliced jalapeno if you like.

11) Drizzle the soy sauce on top of both pieces.

12) Once the oil has been heated through add the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Spoon it on top of each piece. The heat from the oil will release the flavours of the green onion and cilantro into the dish.

Notes:

Avoid using overpowering flavours with matsutake

Stick with light and fresh aromatics like the ones used in this recipe

Serve with quinoa or rice for a healthy dinner option.

Visit Chef Julia Mark’s website for more tasty recipes!

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