Cooking Fish

Steaming small, whole fish or fillets with a little liquid (usually wine) in a parchment or aluminum-foil pouch in the oven—al cartoccio—is a method designed to trap the flavor and aroma of the cooked fish. The liquid turns to steam in the package so that the fish cooks in its own juices; the juices are trapped to serve as a sauce. If assembly is properly done, the vapor created during baking puffs up the package dramatically.