Easy on the eyes, scrumptious on the lips, and oh sooo light on the tummy, this Louisiana redfish en papillote comes together in roughly 35 minutes. Naturally gluten free, low carb, and Paleo if you're not fussy about less than 1 teaspoon of prepared ingredients, this fish in parchment paper recipe is a keeper you'll want to make again and again.
Disclosure: A Sprinkling of Cayenne is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I Love, Love, Love You Louisiana
There's a certain fanciness about cooking fish en papillote that makes it a kitchen adventure worth repeating every now and then. And, when it comes to cooking redfish, I am up for this adventure all the day. Redfish is my favorite fish. This unassuming south Louisiana delicacy yields a mildly sweet flavor, and a stocky fillet build that keeps each piece from falling off the fork once prepared. Because of my early camp days, redfish is usually the fish that I crave when I crave fish.
With all of us down here still reeling from the recent floods that were in some places worse than Katrina, I have really been trying to focus lately on what the waters here give to us instead of what they sometimes take from us. One person I know got more than 7 feet of water in her family home. Two other people I know lost their homes to high flood waters for the second time this year. Yep. What wasn't taken from them in the March floods was stolen from them by the August waters. Sigh. Kick. Scream.
My heart is heavy for all of my fellow south Louisianans who lost their lives, and for those who must rebuild not only their homes, but also their minds, spirits and souls, as well. It's rough down here right now, and I am sooo grateful and blessed to have escaped almost unscathed from this recent tragedy. And, I treasure what I have more because of it. And, I still love, love, love Louisiana. Yep. And, I will choose to remember - and to continue to celebrate - all that her waters give us, and the beauty of how she feeds my body and my soul with her abundant and unyielding supply.
How to Make Louisiana Redfish En Papillote
The flavors and colors released from the brilliant green fresh baby spinach and spirited cherry tomato red of this Louisiana redfish en papillote offset the Creole butter sauce perfectly. So perfectly in fact that you might want to serve this alongside a piece of gluten free bread or a handful of gluten free pasta. Rich but not overpowering, and seasoned to perfection with a little more than a handful of ingredients, this fish in parchment paper recipe is super easy and fun to make.
Once you get it assembled properly, bake it, and remove from oven. Let sit for about 3 minutes before cutting parchment paper. Easy, breezy, and impressive enough for company or an at-home date, this Louisiana redfish en papillote is also a good way to show someone - including yourself - the kind of soul-warming love that erases some of the cares of the stormy days away.
Louisiana Redfish en Papillote
Ingredients
- 2 ½- pound redfish fillets
- salt lemon pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- Creole Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce
- dash liquid smoke
- ¼ tsp. Creole mustard
- Vegetables
- 2 to 3 sliced cherry tomatoes
- ½ pound fresh spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season the redfish fillets with the salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- Make the Creole butter sauce by mixing the melted butter, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, parsley, Tabasco garlic pepper sauce, Creole mustard, and liquid smoke together in a small bowl, and set aside.
- Cut two large sheets of parchment paper, and fold each of the sheets in half. Starting from the top crease, cut each parchment paper sheet into a half-circle or half-heart shape.
- Lay each sheet onto a lightly greased sheet pan.
- Top each sheet of parchment paper with half of the spinach. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of sauce over the spinach.
- Top the spinach atop each parchment paper with the redfish fillets. Drizzle the fillets with approximately another teaspoon of sauce.
- Top both of the redfish fillets with the sliced tomatoes. Drizzle each fillet with approximately another teaspoon of sauce.
- Fold the edges of each parchment paper sheet tightly. Leave a small opening at each end, fill with half of the remaining Creole butter sauce, and close each end. Make sure that the edges are tight so that sauce and steam do not escape throughout the cooking process.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Let sit for 3 minutes before very carefully unraveling the edges of the parchment paper.
Notes
Nutrition
This looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe - - a definite must to try soon!
You're welcome. Please let me know when you try it.
Will do!
Where is the recipe for the Creole Butter?
Hi Betsy, it's labeled within the ingredients list. 'Creole Butter Sauce' is in bold, followed by the ingredients.
I cannot find where it is clearly marked what the butter sauce is either. I assume it’s just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and done?? Thank you. I’m really wanting to try this tonight we just caught some red fish.
Hi Cheryl,
I'm sorry the directions were unclear. I updated them, so yes, you mix all of the ingredients together under the 'Creole Butter Sauce' heading in a bowl. Then, you drizzle the Creole sauce over the spinach, fish, and tomatoes in stages before you fold the ends and sides of the parchment paper. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks so much for reaching out to me. This is one of my favorite recipes. Will you please let me know how it turned out for you?
Thank you very much. I’m getting ready to make this now I will follow up with you. I’m looking forward to this one 🙂
Great recipe. Thanks to the fishermen that know how to treat fish so they are as fresh as the day they were caught.
Thanks so much!! Yes, it's great to have a skilled fisherman around to take care of fish the right way!
Made it tonight, substituted cilantro for parsley, had to go another 3-4 mins, due to 1" thick fillets.
Everybody loved it.
That's great to hear Bob!
Thanks so much for reaching out to let me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Absolutely delicious, will definitely be making this next time we catch redfish. Didn’t use nearly as much spinach as called for but it came out amazing. Thank you!!
You're super welcome Jace! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how it worked out for you! 🙂
What 2 side dishes would be good to serve with this?
Hi Shauna,
I would go with Cajun smothered potatoes and pan-fried Brussels sprouts. I'm leaving the links below for you, as well as the link to my side dish recipe index:
https://asprinklingofcayenne.com/cajun-smothered-potatoes/
https://asprinklingofcayenne.com/cajun-pan-fried-brussels-sprouts/
https://asprinklingofcayenne.com/indexes/recipe-index/
Thanks for reaching out. I would love to hear how it all turns out for you.
Best,
Lyn