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20-Minute Meal

Trout in parchment with warm date and apricot salad

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free

2 Servings, 680 Calories/Serving

20 Minutes

As a cooking vessel, parchment paper is a cook’s best friend. It leaves one less pot to clean, and when you sit down to eat, you feel like you got a gift for dinner. Here, quick-cooking trout fillets steam until flaky, wrapped with spinach and lemon slices. The easy date and apricot salad lends the dish a distinct North African flavor. For a strictly paleo version, steam the fish with a little olive oil instead of butter.

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Ingredients

  • Two 6-ounce trout fillets
  • 1 to 2 shallots
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 sheets parchment paper
  • ¼ pound baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
  • 1½ ounces dried apricots
  • 2 Medjool dates
  • 1½ ounces roasted almonds
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sumac

Instructions

1

Prep the trout, shallot, and lemon

Heat the oven to 400°F.
  • Pat the trout fillets dry with a paper towel. Cut them in half crosswise. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  • Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
  • Zest the lemon. Cut half into 4 thin slices; juice the remaining half.

2

Assemble the packets

Lay the parchment paper sheets side by side. Divide the spinach and shallots between the 2 sheets and season with salt and pepper. Top with the trout pieces and lemon slices. Dot each with 1 tablespoon butter (or 2 teaspoons oil).
Working with 1 sheet at a time, bring 2 opposite sides of the parchment to the center and fold them together several times to create a tight seam. Fold up each end several times to form a tight seal.

3

Bake the packets

Place the packets on a sheet pan, sealed sides up, and bake until the parchment is puffed and browned and the trout is tender when pierced with a skewer or sharp knife, 12 to 15 minutes. While the trout cooks, make the date and apricot salad.

4

Prep the date and apricot salad

  • Coarsely chop the dried apricots.
  • Thinly slice the dates.
  • Coarsely chop the almonds.
  • Strip the parsley leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves.

5

Warm the salad

In a pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the apricots, almonds, and dates and cook just until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice, the parsley, and sumac; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.

6

Serve

Open the trout packets, careful of any venting steam. Transfer the packets to individual plates. Spoon the date and apricot salad alongside and serve.

Nutrition per serving: Calories: 680, Protein: 38 g, Total Fat: 40 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 25.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 90 mg, Carbohydrates: 48 g, Fiber: 9 g, Added Sugar: 0 g, Sodium: 480 mg

Contains: fish, milk, tree nuts