Cod, Blood Orange & Tarragon en Papillote

Heaven help me. Dinner tonight took my breath away. How did I, an inexperienced home cook, make something so…elegant? Cod with Tarragon, Blood Orange, White Wine and Asparagus en Papillote. Garlic & Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.

*Le Sigh* can someone please transport me to France?Served with Clos Du Bois Chardonnay.

For now I will pretend. I think I took Elizabeth Bard’s book, Lunch in Paris, to heart. While preforming my ritual Friday evening grocery shopping trip in search of fish, I began to dream. Initially I planned on making a basic pan-seared fish with lemon and dill. Simple, boring, yet extremely satisfying. My eye caught a devilish blood orange in the produce department, causing my imagination to run wild. Forget lemon! I could use blood orange as my citrus! My thought process went something like this:

“I want…NEED to use a blood orange in my meal tonight. What if I created a tender, delicate fish loaded with flavor. Naturally a starch would need to be involved…oh hello cute little fingerling potatoes. My name is Nora. Would you like to come home with me?”I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I went with my instincts. Let’s get cooking!Take a gigantic piece of parchment paper. Fold it in half and cut a heat shape. I pretended that I was in the 3rd grade making Valentine’s Day Cards.Place a handful of asparagus spears in the center of one of the heart halves. Take your kitten off of the counter and announce, “ASPARAGUS IS NOT FOR KITTENS! YOU ARE GOING TO GET SICK!”Since we are cooking for one tonight, take a handful of tarragon and half of a blood orange. Cut 2 large slices off of the orange (the rest can be juiced over the fish), and finely chop the tarragon.With a piece of paper towel, pat dry a 5-6oz piece of fresh cod. Place it on top of the asparagus. Arrange blood orange on top of the fish and sprinkle tarragon, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper over it. Finish the package with a drizzle of  good olive oil, a splash of white wine and the remaining blood orange juice. Fold and twist the edges to seal the parchment. Set aside.Cut fingerling potatoes on a bias. Drizzle with a garlic & herb infused olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Place in oven at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn and reduce the oven to 400. Place fish packet on the baking sheet, and continue to bake fish and potatoes for 20 minutes.

Transfer your packet to a plate and cut open. Isn’t this a fun way to eat?! If you have a dinner party, I highly recommend fish ‘en papillote’. It is like giving each guest a gift! Anyways, the fish will be extremely flavorful, and will have created its own broth in the packet. This ‘broth’ is amazing.  You will want to soak each bite of fish in it. Swoon.

My only regret: Not roasting more fingerlings! I think I have a new favorite vegetable . These miniature potatoes are flavorful and tender. I especially loved the starchy purple potato.

Cod, Blood Orange & Tarragon en Papillote with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

(Serves 1)

• Handful of Asparagus Spears
• 1 5-6oz fillet of Cod
• 1/2 blood orange
• 1-2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• good olive oil (I use Novello)
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Splash of White Wine
• Handful of Fingerling Potatoes, cut on a bias
• Garlic & Herb infused Olive Oil (I use Wegmans Basting Oil)

1. Pre-heat oven to 450.
2. Toss fingerling potatoes with basting oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
3. Set timer for 10 minutes.
4. For the cod–Take a large piece of parchment paper, fold it in half and cut a heart shape (like a valentine). Add a mound of asparagus to half of the parchment. Pat dry fish, and place on top of asparagus. Place 2 rounds of blood orange and 1-2 tsp chopped tarragon on top of the fish. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, white wine and blood orange juice. Fold the parchment and pinch and twist the edges to seal.
5. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 400. Stir the potatoes and add the fish packet to the tray. Continue to bake another 20 minutes.
6. To plate, place the entire fish packet on the plate and and cut down the center to release steam. Add potatoes along side and pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay.

Happy Fish Friday!

Nora