Tilapia is cooked with tomatoes and mushrooms en papillote. (Jan....

Tilapia is cooked with tomatoes and mushrooms en papillote. (Jan. 4, 2010) Credit: Marge Perry

TIP You can use foil in place of the parchment paper: the presentation is less elegant, but the dish tastes just as good.

Steaming fish in individual packets is not only healthy, it makes clean-up a breeze.

TILAPIA AND TOMATOES EN PAPILLOTE

1 1/2 pounds tilapia

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (2 cups)

4 plum tomatoes (1 pound) chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Tear 4 lengths of parchment paper or foil, each about 18 inches long. Fold each length across in half and unfold. On 1/2 of the paper, place 1/4 of the fish; top with 1/4 of the mushrooms, tomatoes, tarragon, white wine and salt. Crimp or fold over the edges to form a sealed packet. Repeat, forming 4 packets. Place them on 2 baking sheets.

3. Bake in center of oven for 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fish, until packets are puffed. Remove from oven and carefully transfer a packet to each plate. Cut top of packets open carefully (because of escaping steam). Serve fish in the open packets. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 180 calories, 34 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 359 mg sodium

LEMON-INFUSED COD AND ASPARAGUS

1 lemon, cut across in very thin (1/8-inch) slices

4 (6-ounce) pieces cod

12 ounces asparagus, trimmed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Tear 4 lengths of parchment paper or foil, each about 18 inches long. Fold each length across in half and unfold. On 1/2 of the paper, place 1/4 of the lemon slices in a row; top with a piece of fish and nestle 1/4 of the asparagus against the fish.

3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and drizzle over the fish and asparagus in each packet. Crimp or fold over the edges to form a sealed packet. Repeat, forming 4 packets. Place them on 2 baking sheets.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the packets are puffed. Remove from the oven and transfer a packet to each plate. Cut the top of the packets open carefully (to avoid the escaping steam) and serve the fish in the open packets. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 191 calories, 32 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 383 mg sodium

ASIAN FISH STEAMED IN PACKETS

1 1/2 pounds flounder, sole or other flaky white fish

1/3 cup scallions cut into 1-inch lengths

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Tear 4 lengths of parchment paper or foil, each about 18 inches long. Fold each length across in half and unfold. On 1/2 of each piece of parchment paper, place 1/4 of the fish. Top each piece of fish with 1/4 of the scallions.

3. Whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey until the honey is dissolved. Drizzle over the fish; sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Crimp or fold over the edges to form a sealed packet. Repeat, forming 4 packets. Place them on 2 baking sheets.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for about 13 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the packets are puffed. Remove from the oven and transfer a packet to each plate. Cut the top of the packets open carefully to avoid the escaping steam and serve the fish in the open packets. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 188 calories, 32 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 265 mg sodium

Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez; Gary Licker

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.

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