Sea Bream en Papillote with Fennel and Orange

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g skin-on sea bream fillet (2 fillets of about 150 g each)
• 1 fennel bulb (about 300 g)
• 1 orange (about 200 g)
• 30 g pitted black olives
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the parcels, 1 for the couscous)
• 140 g medium couscous + 160 ml boiling water
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Baking sheet
• Baking paper
• Sharp knife and chopping board
• Fine grater
• Mixing bowl
• Fork

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Remove the stalks and tough base from the fennel, cut it in half, then slice it very thinly, 2 to 3 mm, so it becomes tender in 15 min. Peel and slice the garlic, and strip the thyme leaves.
2. Finely grate the zest from half the orange and set it aside for the couscous. Then peel the orange with a knife, removing all the bitter white pith, and cut it into 5 mm slices.
3. Cut two large sheets of baking paper, about 40 cm each. In the centre of each one, arrange the fennel and garlic in a tight bed, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with ½ tbsp oil.
4. Lay the orange slices on the fennel, then the sea bream fillet, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper, and add the olives and thyme. Bring the edges of the paper together and fold them over several times to seal tightly.
5. Place the parcels on the baking tray and bake for 15 min: they should puff up slightly, as it's the steam that cooks the fish and softens the fennel. To check, open one corner: the flesh should be white and flake easily.
6. While the fish is cooking, put the couscous in the mixing bowl with 1 tbsp oil, the orange zest and a pinch of salt, and rub it between your hands to coat the grains. Pour over the boiling water, cover with a plate and leave to swell for 5 min.
7. Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Serve the parcels still closed on the plates, to be opened at the table (watch out for the scalding steam), with the couscous alongside to soak up the orange-scented juices.