Andrea Nguyen's Ginger Halibut Parcels

In Vietnamese Food Any Day, the wonderful, versatile 2019 book from which this is adapted, author Andrea Nguyen calls for either salmon or halibut filets to be roasted in parchment (en papillote in French) in the oven. No doubt it works beautifully with salmon (we haven’t tried yet), and probably many other fish as well (scallops? cod? red snapper?). But we were bowled over by how perfectly it works with halibut, a fish that’s notoriously hard to cook right (it’s so easy to overcook it and dry it out). These filets were magnificently silken, gorgeously cooked, and marvelous with the ginger-garlic sauce and bok choy.

If ever you spot spectacular halibut filets, and wonder how best to feature them (they’re expensive!), this is it. It’s quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner, yet dressy enough for a special evening with friends — or even someone you want to impress. Be sure to have kitchen parchment on hand — either pre-cut sheets or a roll.

[Read: Author Andrea Nguyen brings unforgettable Vietnamese flavor into every home cooks’s wheelhouse.]

Serves 4.

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup thin, matchstick-cut ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil, plus more for brushing

8 ounces baby bok choy, quartered and cut on a sharp diagonal into pieces about 1 inch wide and 2 inches long

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

One 1 1/4 pound halibut filet, cut into four pieces

2 medium scallions, green and white parts, cut on a sharp diagonal into pieces about two inches long

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce and canola oil. In a larger bowl, toss the bok choy with the sesame oil.

3. If using parchment from a roll, cut it into four sheets the size of a baking sheet; you’ll need four total. Brush the center of one of the sheets with some canola oil, and with the parchment horizontal (like a place mat), place one-fourth of the bok choy on in the center; top with one-fourth of the scallion white parts. Place a halibut filet on top and drizzle with one-four of the garlic-ginger-soy mixture and scatter one-fourth of the scallion greens over. Bring the top and bottom of the parchment rectangle together, and scrunch it closed; then twist the left and right edges into tightly closed points. Repeat with the other three filets.

4. Transfer the four parcels to a rimmed baking sheet. (At this point, they may be refrigerated for up to 2 hours. Return them to room temperature before baking.) Roast the fish for 14 minutes. Serve immediately, letting diners tear open the parcels themselves.