Rainbow Trout and Pasta in Parchment

This Rainbow Trout and Pasta in Parchment is an entire meal, cooked quickly in the oven wrapped in parchment. Flavoured with lemon, this meal is delicious, simple, but special.

Are you planning on eating in for Valentine’s Day? We always do here. And even though it’s a special day, I still look for simple dishes, but one that will bring something special to the table. Cooking in parchment (en papillote) is one of my favourite ways to make a simple meal special, so I thought I’d share one for anyone looking for a little something for the day.

Rainbow trout is such a nice change from salmon, I think. It cooks up perfectly flaky in parchment, too. I added in some broccolini and combined it all with a delicious Parmesan lemon pasta. And best of all, it only needs about 12 minutes in the oven! And of course, the pretty heart shaped packets are so fitting for the day :)

Cook’s Notes for Rainbow Trout and Pasta in Parchment

If you can’t find rainbow trout fillets this size, buy a larger piece and cut them yourself. The extra trout can be frozen for another meal.

When cutting your parchment packets, don’t cut the half-heart too narrow. You want to leave lots of room for food :) I start from the bottom point and cut the bottom curve. Leave several inches of the flat side, then make a curved cut at the top (see photo below).

Be sure your parchment packets are well sealed, so your contents steam well. I start from the bottom point of the heart and work around, then work my way back down, folding again and finishing with a twist of the bottom point.

I wasn’t sure if the broccolini would cook enough in the packets from raw, so I hedged my bets by microwaving briefly (30 seconds) to give it a head start. It was well cooked after 12 minutes in the oven, so I’m thinking it would probably have been fine (tender-crisp), without the pre-cooking. You can go either way, depending on how you like your veggies cooked.

Since you’re cooking just a small amount of pasta here, you can complete the process more quickly by boiling water in a deep, wide skillet. The water will boil more quickly!

Speaking of pasta, I uses Farfale (bow tie) pasta here, but obviously any pasta you have or like is fine.

Rainbow Trout and Pasta in Parchment

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 476 kcal

Author: Jennifer

Delicious parchment packets, with rainbow trout, broccolini and lemon Parmesan pasta all in one. Cooks up quickly in a hot oven!

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Ingredients

• 2 rainbow trout fillets
• 4 slices thin of lemon, seeds removed seeds removed
• 4-6 stalks broccolini, bottom 1/2- of stalk trimmed off

Pasta:

• 1 1/2 cups dried Farfale (bow tie) pasta (or pasta or your choice - enough for 2 small servings
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 12x15-inch pieces of parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Boil water for pasta. *Tip: for this small amount of pasta, use a deep, wide skillet for the job. The water will boil more quickly! Once water is boiling, salt water and add your pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain well and remove to a medium bowl. Add butter and stir until butter is melted and pasta is coated well. Add Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Drizzle with lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, prepare your parchment hearts. Cut two pieces of parchment 15-inches x 12-inches. Fold in half to make a 7 1/2-inch x 12-inch rectangle. Starting from the bottom fold corner, cut the bottom of the heart shape to the open side. Leave a few inches of the open side flat, then cut the top curve back towards the top fold edge (see photo below). Open up your parchment hearts and lay flat on a work surface.

4. 
   

   
5. Place a pile of your pasta in the centre, just to the right of the centre fold. Keep it a couple of inches from the side edge. Top with a fillet of rainbow trout. Season trout with salt and pepper and a pat of butter. Top with a couple of thin slices of lemon. Tuck a couple of broccolini stalks next to it (on the centre fold side). Fold the unfilled parchment side over-top to enclose. Starting from the bottom heart point, begin folding the edges in, over-lapping and pinching as you go to keep the shape. Once you get to the top, work your way back down, folding over again and folding/pinching as you go. End with twisting the bottom point a bit to seal. Place packets on a baking sheet.

6. Bake in preheated 400 F oven for 12-14 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets). Remove from oven. Place packets on plates and cut open to enjoy.