Take Two: Fish Pouches

Hello friends!

This past week I decided to try my hand at the fish pouches again. As you may recall from my last attempt, the results were of a mixed success. I am happy to report that I got much better results this time. Unfortunately, I don't think it quite qualifies as a F.E.A.S.T. anymore, but I'll let you be the judge.

THE INGREDIENTS!!!
4 flounder fillets  (from a $4.50 frozen bag)
1 cup uncooked white rice  (don't ask the price; I'm pulling this from a huge bag)
1 cup golden yellow grape tomatoes  (from a $3.50 package)
1 red bell pepper  ($1.00)
1 medium sweet yellow onion  ($1.00)
2 14.5oz cans veggie broth  ($2.00)
2 small lemons  ($0.50)
chopped garlic, about 8 cloves worth  (staple)
Italian seasoning  (staple)

salt and pepper  (they better be staples!)


Total price: about $12.50, unless you need to restock your staples.

THE METHOD!!!
Preheat your oven to 425. Tear off four large sheets of parchment. Line a cookie sheet or other containment vessel with foil (for ease of cleanup and whatnot).

Slice your tomatoes in half, and remove the seeds. This can most easily be accomplished through gentle squeezing, which is oddly satisfying. Chop your onion and red pepper, and divide each into four even piles. Have your garlic chopped if it doesn't already come that way.

Assemble your pouches. On each sheet of parchment, place 1/4 cup of rice in a rectangular pile, then place a piece of frozen fish over top. Trust me on this, okay? Next, add one of the onion/pepper piles over top of that. Then add your chopped garlic, about two cloves' worth. Squeeze half a lemon over top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Now seal your pouches. Fold the parchment up like a hot dog going longways with the fish. Then, crease the edges together and fold downward. Now staple them shut. Yes, with actual staples. Twist one of the ends up to close it, angling the fold upwards. Have the other end ready to twist, but do not seal it yet.

Pour about six ounces (about half a can) of your veggie broth into each pouch, then twist the end shut. Place each pouch side-by-side on your sheet pan, and set the whole thing in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then gently rotate the pouches by moving the outer two in and the middle two out. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer. When the timer beeps at you, pull the pouches out of the oven, and allow them to sit another 15 minutes so that the rice can finish absorbing all the liquids. When that's done, tear into them and gobble them up!

I had much better results this go around. The fish was wonderfully cooked, the rice was a perfect al dente, and the veggies were all tender without being mushy. The seasonings were more spot on then last time, but I think I still need to work on them just a bit. But to really guage the success, we need to compare to our acronym:

Fast: Much better than last time, but still over my goal of 1 hour from start to finish. It was more like 1 hour 15 minutes, but a goal is a goal, right? To be fair, I think this is the only shortcoming here.

Easy: Yep. Just chop and assemble. Even the clean up is a breeze, since the cooking vessels get tossed in the garbage.

Affordable: At around $12 to $15, this is exactly where I want the budget to land, so I call this a win, especially compared to last time.

Super Tasty: The flavors were much better this time, although I still think there's some room for improvement. But that having been said, I am still quite pleased with the results.

So there you have it. A great success, but one that still leaves me with some room to tinker around. After all, cooking is, at its heart, as much an art as a science, and finding that balance takes a great deal of work. As I said though, I am pleased with how this turned out, and I'm looking forward to tinkering with it some more in the future. I love the whole pouch cooking concept, and I am excited to see where I can take it next.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Please post any thoughts you have on the subject at your leisure. Go forth and eat well!