UK | Leading the way in innovation, Waitrose has launched a supermarket first fish “en papillote” range.
Inspired by the classic French cooking style, the fish has been delicately folded into hand-crafted parchment paper parcels and then steamed to perfection with natural juices. Requiring no hands-on preparation, it’s ready to serve in as little as 20 minutes.
Customer insights have shown the need to overcome the renowned ‘fish fear’; many felt unsure how to cook fish or were put off by its smell and texture.
The fish was expertly crafted to steam in the tray, with the parchment paper retaining the natural juices of the fish, infused with aromatic seasonings, creating a rich, flavour-packed sauce, ensuring a perfectly tender fish dish every time.
“We are delighted to launch the first fish “En Papillote” to the market - an easy, healthy and delicious option that suits our customers' busy lifestyles,” said Natalie Kelsey, product developer at Waitrose.
“Overcoming the dreaded ‘fish fear’, this style of cooking allows the freshness of the ingredients to truly shine. As the perfect mid-week solution, I love to serve mine with wholegrain rice, egg noodles or veggies for the perfect balanced meal.”
The "en papillote" range consists of the following:
2 Wild Garlic Scottish Salmon Fillets: Boneless salmon fillets cooked in wild garlic butter, hand-finished with cracked black pepper and chives - delicious with new potatoes and a green vegetable medley;
2 Green Thai Inspired Cod Fillets: Skinless and boneless cod fillets with green Thai-inspired butter, fresh chillies and coriander, delicious with wholegrain rice and edamame beans; and
2 Provençal Inspired Haddock Fillets: Skinless and boneless haddock fillets with oven-roasted tomatoes, black olives, capers and lemon, delicious with crushed new potatoes and steamed greens.
This new launch also tapped into the growing popularity of French cuisine, with searches on TikTok for ‘French recipes’ exceeding 169k views.
“We’ve witnessed a surge in new restaurant openings such as Josephine, which offers a culinary journey through France, as well as French influencers such as Alexandra Stacey who inspire seasonal French cooking so people can recreate French cuisine and cooking styles at home.”
All fish is fresh, not frozen, apart from when seasonal supply challenges arise once a year.
