Here is a drop dead simple but posh looking steamed fish recipe with mushrooms! This salt cod en papillote is always a huge success for dinner.
Salt cod en papillote is on the menu for tonight.
And it is packed with a couple of beautiful and ballsy flavors as well!
I have made quite a few salt cod recipes before.
However I hadn’t steamed cod before, that is how this salt cod recipe was born.
But here is the thing. Since salt cod loses quite a lot of liquid while it cooks, I always find it such a waste. Also because that liquid contains the flavor as well.
It also makes the salt cod quite dry from time to time.
Steaming Fish
So that is why I didn’t want to cook the fish in my steamer.
I needed a way to catch that salt cod liquid to keep the dish moist and flavorful. Making a papillote seemed like the best way to do it.
But what can I add to the already salty and strong flavored fish to add more contrast?
I opted for a bunch of dried wild mushrooms. I happened to have dried morels and porcini in my kitchen cupboard.
But I am sure that just any type of dried mushroom is just fine for this recipe.
Flavor: check.
Easy Salt Cod en Papillote with Wild Mushrooms
I just love papillote recipes!
They are so easy to make in advance!
All you have to do is just throw in about any ingredient that you want. It doesn’t need an awful lot of cooking. And once your meal is ready, you snip the paper pouch open and it really looks like a super posh dinner from a posh deli!
Do you love papillote recipes?
Then you should also check out another fish en papillote recipe I made: salmon en papillote with orange, peas, spring onion and fresh cilantro!
So here is a drop dead simple but posh looking steamed fish recipe with mushrooms. This salt cod en papillote is a family favorite and a winner dinner.
Enjoy!
Easy Mushroom & Salt Cod en Papillote Recipe
This salt cod en papillote is a huge success!
- 2 salt cod steaks
- 6 medium white mushrooms
- 6 dried morel mushrooms
- 2 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 porcini garlic clove
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- good quality olive oil
- pepper
- salt
- Soak the salt cod in water for 2 hours. Then drain it and gently squeeze out some of the water that is still inside. Don’t wring the fish out, the water that is left will be part of the sauce in the papillote once cooked.
- Soak the dried mushrooms for 30 minutes in half a cup (120 ml) of water as well.
Brush and clean the mushrooms. Then chop them into 4 pieces. Peel and slice the garlic clove. Add some olive oil to a medium non-stick pan. Place it over medium heat until hot. Then add the garlic.
- Gently fry the garlic for 2 minutes, don’t let it burn. Then add the chopped white mushrooms. Season with a pinch of pepper.
- Stir and fry the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes. Add a few extra drops of olive oil if necessary but don’t exaggerate. Remove the dried mushrooms from the soaking liquid: don’t throw the liquid away, we’ll need it in a bit. Gently squeeze the soaked mushrooms to remove some excess water and add them to the white mushrooms in the pan.
- Stir the mushrooms well and let them bake for another 3 to 4 minutes. Then take the pan off the heat, stir in the freshly chopped parsley and let the mushrooms cool a little.
- Place a drained salt cod steak a large piece of baking or parchment paper on a deep plate and place one cod steak on in.
- Then add half of the baked mushrooms.
- Drizzle with 5 tablespoons of the soaking liquid from the mushrooms.
- Fold the upper part of the paper over the fish.
- Then fold the upper left corner, make a triangle.
- Repeat with more golden triangles and work your way around the fish and mushrooms. Cut off any excess paper if that makes it easier for you to fold.
- Don’t make the parcel too tight or too loose.
- Keep going until you reach the other side of the parcel. Make sure the last triangle is closed tightly or the hot air will disappear through it while cooking.
- Now repeat this and wrap up the other cod steak. Then place both parcels on a large baking tray and place them in a preheated oven at 480°F (250°C) for 20 minutes. Then remove the parcels and place them onto deep plates. With a pair of scissors snip a little whole in the paper (careful, the air inside is hot) and cut a cross in the paper to expose the cooked fish and mushrooms. Serve hot.
Where does salt cod come from?
Salt cod, also known as saltfish or salted cod, is a type of cod that has been preserved by drying after salting.
It has been produced for over 500 years in Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, and most particularly in Norway where it is called klippfisk, literally “cliff-fish”.
Salt cod was long a major export of the North Atlantic region, and has become an ingredient of many cuisines around the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean.
