Highly recommended! You can prepare fish packages ahead of time – see pt 7 below – so that the final assembly is fairly straight forward.
Good for 4 people:
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Several big leaves of romaine lettuce, Bibb lettuce or white cabbage
- 600g thick white fish fillet (rockfish, cod, hake, snapper), in pieces about 2-2.5 cm thick, 2.5 cm wide, and 5 cm or less across
- 1 cup white wine, approximately
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
- Take as many big, intact leaves of lettuce or cabbage as you have pieces of fish.
- With large outer leaves, cut out centre veins 5-7 cm up from bottom of leaves, to the point where the leaf is more pliable; with inner leaves this may not be necessary.
- One or 2 at a time, blanch leaves in boiling water until they are tender and flexible, 30 seconds to a minute.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Put a piece of fish on each leaf and sprinkle with salt and pepper; fold or roll fish in leaf so edges overlap. It is not important to make a tight seal, but it is nice if package covers all the fish.
- When done, you can cover and refrigerate packages until ready to serve, or continue.
- In a large, broad skillet or casserole with a cover, bring wine to a boil with butter.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add fish packages.
- Cover and simmer until a thin-bladed knife easily penetrates fish, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove fish to a warm platter.
- Over high heat, quickly reduce liquid in skillet; it is likely there will be more than there was when you started.
- When it is thickened a bit, pour over fish and serve.