Name: Easiest-Ever Fish in Foil
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest , zested from ½ lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving; ½ teaspoon table salt; ⅛ teaspoon pepper; 4 (6-ounce) skinless cod fillets , 1 to 1½ inches thick; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces

Why This Recipe Works

This weeknight-ready dish might be simple to make, but it’s still full of flavor. It uses a cooking method called “en papillote,” or cooking food inside a sealed packet. We fill ours with cod fillets, lemon, herbs, and butter. The aluminum foil packets are fun for kids to fold, minimize mess, and also help the fish cook evenly. While kids fold, explain that, in the oven, the packets will trap steam inside them, which helps the fish cook from all sides. (Water in the ingredients turns to steam as it heats up in the oven.) When kids carefully open their packet to eat, ask them if they notice that steam escaping.

Before You Begin

If you want a simple bread-crumb topping for your fish, give this a try: In small microwave-safe bowl, stir together ¼ cup panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, and pinch salt. Cook in microwave for 1 minute. Stir mixture and continue to cook in microwave until panko is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Sprinkle over your baked fish just before serving.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut 4 large pieces of aluminum foil.

In small bowl, combine thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Place 1 fillet on 1 side of each piece of foil. Sprinkle thyme mixture evenly over fillets and top with butter.

Fold empty side of foil over cod. Fold up edges of foil and pinch together to create sealed packet (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Make a Foil Packet,” below). Transfer packets to rimmed baking sheet.

Place baking sheet in oven and bake until cod registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes.

Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Transfer packets to plates and carefully open. Serve with lemon wedges.