Food Fish Halibut en Papillote with Fennel, Olives and Leeks The French technique of baking food in a parchment parcel yields effortlessly perfect fish, fragrant with lemon, thyme and fennel. And as a fringe benefit, you get to open dinner like a present. By Laraine Perri Laraine Perri Laraine Perri is a freelance editor and food writer based in New York City. She has developed recipes for Midwest Living, Better Homes and Gardens and other publications. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 8, 2022 Print Share Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients Olive oil 1 small bulb fennel, cored and very thinly sliced 1 cup halved and very thinly sliced leek (white and light green parts only) ½ cup coarsely chopped pitted Castelvetrano olives 4 5- to 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 sprigs fresh thyme 8 thin slices lemon 4 tablespoons dry white wine 4 teaspoons unsalted butter Coarsely chopped fennel fronds Directions Position two oven racks near middle of oven. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut four large sheets of parchment paper (15 to 18 inches long). Fold in half the short way to crease, then open again. For each packet, drizzle a bit of olive oil on one side of the parchment, near the crease. Divide the sliced fennel, leek and olives among the sheets, arranging them in little piles on the oil. Top the vegetables with the halibut fillets, then season with salt and pepper. Top each with two sprigs thyme and two lemon slices. Drizzle 1 tablespoon wine over each fillet and dot each with 1 teaspoon butter. To close the packets, fold the empty side of the parchment over the ingredients. Then tightly roll up the three open sides, folding and crimping your way around to create a semicircle. The packet should look a bit like a big paper empanada. (A perfect shape isn't the goal, but a tight crimp is.) Transfer packets to two large rimmed baking pans. Bake until fish is just cooked through and parchment puffs, about 10 minutes, switching positions of pans after 5 minutes. Use a wide spatula to transfer packets to plates. Use scissors to slit tops. Carefully tear open packets to avoid the steam. Garnish fish with a drizzle of additional olive oil and the fennel fronds. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 301 Calories 16g Fat 11g Carbs 28g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 301 % Daily Value * Total Fat 16g 21% Saturated Fat 4g 20% Cholesterol 80mg 27% Sodium 500mg 22% Total Carbohydrate 11g 4% Total Sugars 4g Protein 28g Vitamin C 31mg 153% Calcium 71mg 5% Iron 1mg 8% Potassium 946mg 20%