When I got an email from Rachel last week about her new website, I couldn’t help but respond. Her angle? Promoting the health benefits and delicious uses of sauerkraut. I didn’t begin to enjoy the stuff until this year, when a friend of mine made an incredible stew featuring a full quart of the fermented cabbage condiment. Since then, I’ve adapted it for my slow cooker, and I can’t wait to try out Rachel’s recipe for Baja Fish Bundles, featured here!
- Coco a.k.a. Opera Girl
Tilapia is my absolute favorite from the white fish family. It’s a foolproof fish for those who are timid about cooking seafood. It absorbs any flavors added to it and always comes out buttery and flaky (even if I leave it in the oven too long!). Sauerkraut is an unbelievable complement to the mild fillet, giving it a savory and more complex flavor.
Krautlook’s Baja Fish Bundle recipe is worth bookmarking: it’s delicious, healthy, fast, and cheap. It might sound too good to be true, but I guarantee once you try it, it will be showing up on your plate more often than you may have expected. The trick to this recipe is making sure you fold your parchment packets enough so that the steam cannot escape. The steam should remain inside the packet in order to cook the fish and retain moisture.
Krautlook’s Baja Fish Bundles (printer-friendly version)
Makes 4 Fillets
4 tilapia fillets
½ c drained fresh salsa (could substitute Coco’s Hot and Spicy Ancho Tomatillo Salsa)
½ c drained and rinsed sauerkraut
¼ c sliced black olives
2 Tbsp. plus 4 extra dollops plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt
1.Preheat oven to 400°F.
2.Cut 12” x 12” squares of parchment baking paper; fold each in half to crease, then unfold.
3.Place fillets on paper squares; immediately to the right of the crease, centered between top and bottom.
4.Mix together salsa, sauerkraut, black olives, and 2 Tbsp. yogurt. Distribute evenly over fillets.
5.Fold unfilled side of paper over filling, matching edges.
6.Starting with the opposite edge, fold ¼” over crease; then fold and crease again to make a double fold.
7.Fold and double crease the other two edges to make double fold seals.
8.Place packets on baking sheet; bake 10 minutes or until packets puff up and brown slightly.
9.Slit each packet open being careful of released steam.
10.Top each fillet with dollop of yogurt.
Rachel Carlson is a guest blogger from Krautlook, a website dedicated to sauerkraut recipes and health benefits. Visit Krautlook on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.
