Steamed Tilapia and Fennel

[Rose Karuna]

I tried this last night and it reminded me of some delicious fish that I was served at a hotel in Denmark

1 large sheet of parchment paper per fish filet cut into a heart shape like this.
Any kind of flaky white fish (I use tilapia because it plentiful here in Florida)
Pam (or any kind of light oil spray)
1 bunch fennel with green tops
1 small onion
butter
sea salt
pepper
real lemon with peel (you'll need the zest)

Preheat oven to 400
Cut the parchment paper into a heart shape. Make sure the square is big enough for the piece of fish to be fully covered with an inch on each side. Fold the heart in half.
Slice the fennel bulb thinly
Slice the onion thinly
Liberally salt the fish and lightly pepper it.
Spray the area you intend to put the fish on the crease with the oil spray.
Place the fish on the edge of the crease.
Grate the peel of the lemon onto the fish.
Add 3 or 4 pats of butter
Add enough sliced fennel and onion on top of the fish to cover it.
Add a sprig from the top part of the fennel as well (this looks like dill)
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice on top of all of it.
Begin at the top and start folding the parchment paper toward the center eventually completely sealing up the fish.
Spray a cookie sheet with the oil and put the parchment paper on the cookie sheet
Cook for 12 - 22 min (if your fish is thin, 15 min, if it's thicker or you've put two filet together cook it a bit longer)

Tilapia is thin fish but I put two filet together and then I cooked them for 18 min.

What comes out of your oven is exquisite.

 

[Eunoli]

This sounds delicious, except for the fennel, which is some kind of evil greenery invented just to taunt me with dishes that sound otherwise delicious, but are awful because they contain fennel!

That said, I'm going to try this with dill, instead.

 

[Rose Karuna]

You could try celery sliced thinly instead of the fennel and a sprig of dill on the top but I have to say that for some reason all of the "anise" flavor that is normally in fennel when it's raw becomes something entirely different when steamed with the fish. It tasted more like a cross between celery and water chestnuts to me after it cooked.