Pungent Packets

Seafood dinners baked in packets do not require any specific fish, vegetable, grain or seasoning. Rather than a specific recipe, choose ingredients by checking the home refrigerator or pantry and using those on hand.

• Fresh herbs, onions and garlic.  Shallots, garlic, fresh ginger and fennel bulb.  Fennel adds a sweet anise flavor to foods.

• Lemon.   Slices and juice impart their flavor magic.

• Vegetables. Cut carrots,celery and squash in julienne strips though the choices are endless.  Pepper, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, edamame all come to mind.

• Whole Grain.  Quinoa, brown rice, bulgur, farro, kashi, corn-here's your chance to use that little bit left in a bag or a large jar that's been sitting on the shelf. Simply cook the grain prior to assembly-or use leftover cooked grain.

• Seafood.  Salmon, tuna steak, scallops, shrimp or any variety of raw fillet works.  It's alright to make one packet with one variety and another packet with a different fish if one of this and one of that is what's on hand.  

My packets today included garlic scapes, fennel, lemon, carrots, zucchini, red pepper, corn cut off the cob, fresh basil and thyme.  The seafood choice are shrimp with tail.  (I removed the shell) The seasoning was a lemon-citrus blend of coriander, mustard and lemon zest.

Coriander-Mustard Seasoning Blend

(Serves 6)

Toast seeds for 5 minutes.  Cool.  Grind in a coffee grinder that's used just for grinding spices (not coffee).
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Add lemon zest.
Lemon zest from 1 lemon 

My packets today were foil pieces with a non-stick lining.  These were baked for 20 minutes in a toaster oven.  They can also be grilled.  To take the flavor up a notch, use banana leaves to wrap the edibles.    See blog post.