Oven Baked Trout Parcels with Tomatoes, Basil and Black Olives

Ingredients

Serves : 2

Prep time : 20 mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

• 2 thick British trout fillets
• 1 large ripe tomato – or 8 small ripe cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• 6 large or 8 leaves of fresh Basil – or a pinch of mixed dried herbs
• A pinch of fennel seeds per parcel
• A pinch of chilli flakes per parcel
• 12 black olives, stones removed – roughly chopped, use the best you can get
• A tablespoon of Pernod or dry vermouth or even dry white wine
• A good drizzle of the very best olive oil you can lay your hands on
• Salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius and place in a baking tray to heat up.

• Using a standard supper plate as a template, cut out 2 circles of non-stick baking parchment.
• In the middle but slightly to the front of each circle place a trout fillet, season it with salt and a few chilli flakes and brush with a little tomato puree mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil. I like to do this whilst the sheets of paper are on an actual plate – this helps to stop the liquid and oil escaping and making a mess!
• Dice the tomato, and scatter this on top of the fish, add half of the basil leaves and a pinch of fennel seeds to each piece of trout, then add half  the chopped black olives.
• Add a teaspoon of Pernod and a drizzle of olive oil to each circle too, being careful to make sure it doesn’t all run off the paper. Now, fold the top of the circle towards you so it reaches the front with a trout fillet enveloped in between. Starting on the left edge, carefully fold the two edges over on themselves, like crimping a pasty, repeat the process all the way around until the parcel is sealed, then fold the last remaining little open bit underneath the parcel to stop it all unravelling in the oven.
• Pop the parcels carefully onto the hot baking sheet, and pop it back in the oven, and set a timer for 14 minutes. Then remove the tray from the oven and leave the parcels to steam for a minute or two. Serve with the garnish of your choice – it’s quite fun to serve them without opening them by simply transferring the parcels to a plate so each person gets to open their own.