Boston Baked Scrod

Photo: flickr user Aleutia

Ingredients

6 pounds x Scrod fillets - (½ ea)

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

4 Ripe plum tomatoes seeded, and

slivered lengthwise

1 Red bell pepper stemmed, seeded,

and slivered lengthwise

1 small Onion peeled, halved,

and slivered lengthwise

1 tablespoon Drained tiny capers

2 tablespoons Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set out six 14- by 12-inch pieces of aluminum foil, shinny side up.

Lay a scrod fillet in the center of the bottom half of each piece of foil. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper. Arrange all the vegetables on top of each piece of fish, and sprinkle them evenly with the capers and parsley. Drizzle each filled with 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice ans 2 teaspoons of the olive oil.

Fold the top half of the foil over the fish, and seal the packets tightly on all sides.

Place the packets on a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between them, spaced evenly for proper heat circulation. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the packets rest for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately, placing one unopened packet on each plate. Open them carefully, because a puff of herb-infused steam will billow out.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Comments: You can put these packets together an hour or two ahead of baking, which makes them a natural for entertaining. (If you do prepare them in advance, refrigerate them, but be sure to bring them to room temperature before baking.) Each person opens the sealed packet on his or her plate to reveal their invitingly fragrant dinner serving.