Sea Bass en Papillote

Preparation : Preparing the Fish Fin, scale and rinse the fish. Fillet the fish, leaving on the skin for grilling. Rinse the bones and prepare a fish stock With a very sharp knife, lightly score the skin side of the fillets in 2 perpendicular lines. This prevents the skin from contracting and causing the fillets to curl when grilled. Coat the fillets with vegetable oil and fresh thyme and refrigerate. Preparing the Concass Peel the tomatoes by plunging them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, rinsing with cold water and removing the skin with a paring knife. Sweat the chopped onions, shallots and garlic in the oil. Cut the tomatoes in half sideways and squeeze out the seeds over a bowl. Coarsely chop them and add them to the sweated onion mixture. Add a little sugar (especially if the tomatoes are underripe). Cover with parchment paper and cook for a few minutes, remove paper lid and cook until all excess water has evaporated. Adjust the seasoning. Preparing the Mushroom Duxelles and Vegetables: Rinse the mushrooms and chop by hand or in the food processor. Be careful, especially if using a food processor, not to pure them. Sweat the shallots in the butter for 5 minutes and add the chopped mushrooms and the lemon juice. Cover with parchment paper. Cook the mushrooms until there is no liquid left in the pan. Adjust the seasoning. Cook the vegetables separately a l’ànglaise. Toss in butter and season to taste. Grilling the Fish Make sure the grill is clean and extremely hot. Wipe excess marinade off of the fillets and mark quickly on the skin-side only. The purpose of grilling the fish is not to cook it but to lightly flavor it and give it decorative grill marks. Assembling the Papillottes Cut the parchment paper into hearts; half of a large sheet is the right size. Ask the instructor for assistance. On each piece place a layer of duxelles and 2 tablespoons of tomato concasse. Keep it toward the inner fold. Place the fillet on top of this, skin-side-up, and place vegetables on top, with a sprig of thyme and a few splashes of white wine. Brush the edges of the paper with the beaten egg white. Seal the edges by making a series of straight folds. Brush again with egg white and repeat the folding process. Baking the Papillotes Place the papillotes on an oiled sheet pan in a 400F (204C) oven to order. They are usually done when completely puffed, about 7 to 8 minutes. Be sure to test and time one before the beginning of service. Serve the entire papillote to the customer, or remove fish from the papillote in the kitchen. Source : The French Culinary Institute