Tilapia en Papillote

This is an old favorite, a cheap meal, a quick dish, an easy clean-up... Do I really need to go on?

En papillote is French for "in parchment paper," and it means to bake fish inside a folded "pouch." I am a big fan of this method. I've cooked salmon and dover this way too, and the fish always comes out perfectly moist and flavorful.

This particular dish includes buttery sweet corn, crunchy bell pepper, and lime juice. It's a great summer dish, and it pairs beautifully with a flaky piece of tilapia. I love this dish, I really do. Plus, it costs about $10 for a dinner for two.

Ingredients for 2:

• 2 tilapia fillets
• 1 large lime, sliced into rounds
• Cayenne, pepper, and salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn 
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 stalks green onions, chopped 1/2-in. pieces
• 2 sheets of 20 inches (more or less) of parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the garlic and corn. Cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and add bell pepper and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Lightly juice some of the lime rounds over the fillets. I also juice the ends of the lime that I hacked off. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper. Top with lime rounds.

For the assembling
Take a sheet of parchment paper and divide half the corn mixture on one side, leaving a 2-inch border. Top the corn mixture with a fillet. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Fold over the parchment paper and  seal the edges by tightly crimping. Set on a baking sheet. 

Bake for 17-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.