This Easy Baked Grouper with Citrus, Olives, and Pistachios is wrapped in parchment paper, sealed, and baked. 20 minutes later you're digging into a sophisticated dinner and dreaming you are on holiday in the south of France.
Grouper is the perfect headliner for this simple but flavorful baked fish recipe. Creamy sliced potatoes serve as the foundation of the dish, topped with the flaky grouper, and a briny, citrusy, olive tapenade.
This kind of baked fish packet is French in origin. "En Papillote" is what they call it, or "in parchment." It's a simple method, but it makes for a beautiful presentation, and a shockingly quick cleanup.
What you'll need to make this recipe:
Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Fish: the recipe calls for grouper (with or without skin). Substitute cod, halibut, sea bass or snapper.
Potatoes: if you're going for a low-carb option, skip the spuds. But they add the perfect creamy base to this dynamite seafood dish. Small potatoes or fingerlings are ideal, but Yukon golds work, too!
Citrus: lemon and orange zest add our citrus notes. You can use just one type of citrus, but I always keep the orange - it's spectacular with pistachios and fish.
Red pepper flakes (optional): add a pinch for a little kick of heat. Omit for a completely mild experience.
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions:
1. Prep potatoes
Preheat oven to 375℉. Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Boil for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Make olive tapenade
Add ¼ cup of olive oil, crushed olives, chopped pistachios, orange and lemon strips, sliced garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to a microwave safe small bowl.
Heat for about a minute in the microwave, just enough to warm the oil and begin steeping the herbs. Remove from microwave. Stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Prep fish and slice potatoes
Dry grouper fish fillets with paper towels. Season each fillet with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick slices. (Potatoes can be peeled or unpeeled).
4. Build parchment packets
Arrange four large rectangles of parchment paper on the counter. Fold each in half like a book. Lay about 8 slices of potato on the center of one half of the parchment. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and about a tablespoon of the olive mixture over the potatoes.
Place fish fillets over the potatoes. Top with another 2-3 tablespoons of the olive mixture. Slice a lemon thinly and lay on top of the mixture.
Close each packet by rolling and sealing the edges, like an empanada. Carefully transfer the packets to a baking sheet.
5. Bake fish en papillote
Bake in the hot oven for 18-20 minutes. A general rule of thumb for baking fish is that it needs about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness of the fillet. In baking these packets that include veggies, we increase that time. Remove and let the packets sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish and serve
Carefully use scissors to cut an X in the top of each packet, being cautious of escaping steam. Add a sprinkle of salt, parsley and a squeeze of orange. Serve with your favorite sides.
Looking for more show stopping seafood recipes?
- Pan-Seared Rockfish with Creamy Dill Sauce
- Blackened Cod Recipe
- Baked Colossal Shrimp in Lemon Butter Sauce
- Butter Herb Baked Sockeye Salmon in Foil
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Grouper is one of my favorite fish, not only for its versatility in how it can be prepared, but because there are so many varieties within the family - grey or red grouper, even black grouper, depending on where you live and shop. Any flaky white fish fillet could be substituted for grouper, including red snapper, yellowtail snapper, cod, halibut or even flounder.
A general rule of thumb for baking fish is that it needs about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness of the fillet.
Can I use different fresh herbs?
Thyme adds a delicious lemony herb flavor to this dish. A pinch of rosemary would also work, but use a light hand, as rosemary can be strong and can overpower the mild flavor of the fish. And, of course, dill is always a winner with fish.
I'm all out of lemons - can I use a different citrus?
The orange peel and juice are the surprising citrus star in this dish. You'll notice I recommend squeezing orange juice instead of fresh lemon juice before serving. So if you're out of lemons, just use oranges. Lime zest and peels may be too aggressive for this dish, so I would avoid that fruit, unless you're just adding a squeeze of lime juice. If you're out of all citrus, a splash of white wine will add the acidity the dish needs.
Castelvetrano olives or kalamata olives would be delightful with these flaky fish packets. Kalamata in particular will turn this dish into a Mediterranean grouper. Let me know if you try it!
The potatoes and olive tapenade make for a flavorful and filling dish. I usually like to serve a second side of Garlic Lemon Seasoned Green Beans or Cucumber Gazpacho Salad with sweet cherry tomatoes for an easy weeknight meal.
Absolutely. Just thaw the fish filets in the refrigerator overnight and be sure to dry the fish very well with paper towels before wrapping in the parchment parcels.
To store, wrap leftover fish tightly or transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350℉ just until warmed.
Baked Grouper with Citrus, Olives, and Pistachios
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Lucious, savory grouper with olives, pistachios and citrus is the restaurant-quality seafood dinner you've been looking for! Make it for your dinner party this weekend.
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 small white potatoes or fingerlings
4 4-5-ounce grouper fillets (with or without skin)
12-15 thin strips of orange rind
6-8 thin strips of lemon rind
⅔ cup roughly chopped Spanish olives
½ cup roughly chopped pistachios
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Flat leaf parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Add small potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Boil for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool until you can handle.
- Add ¼ cup of olive oil, crushed olives, chopped pistachios, orange and lemon strips, sliced garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to a microwave safe bowl. Heat for about a minute in the microwave just enough to warm the oil and steep the herbs. Remove from microwave. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Dry grouper fillets with paper towels. Season each filet with a pinch of coarse sea salt.
- Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick slices. (Potatoes can be peeled or unpeeled).
- Arrange four large rectangles of parchment paper on the counter. Fold each in half like a book. Lay sliced potatoes on the center of one half of the parchment. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then about a tablespoon of the olive mixture over the potatoes. Lay the grouper filet over the potatoes. Top with 2-3 tablespoons of the olive mixture. Slice a lemon thinly and lay on top of the olives and fish. Close each packet by rolling and sealing the edges, like an empanada. Carefully transfer the packets to a baking sheet.
- Bake in a hot oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Carefully use scissors to cut an X in the top of each packet. Add a sprinkle of salt, diced parsley (if using) and a squeeze of orange.
Notes
Substitute cod, snapper, halibut or sea bass for grouper, if needed.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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