Foil Packet Baking

I was first introduced to cooking by tossing all ingredients into packets fashioned out of aluminum foil a few years ago during a camping trip.  My friend Tom made the most epically awesome stew I've ever had, despite a lightning/rain/thunderstorm that threatened to ruin our entire trip.  I never really thought about making meals that way at home much until I discovered a recipe using the technique in one of my cookbooks, and it turned out great (see http://practicemakesmeals.blogspot.com/2010/12/recipe-79-salmon-vegetable-packets.html).  The veggies are a perfect texture and cleanup is such a cinch!

Today was my second shot at it.  I'd thawed out some orange roughy fillets I'd had in the freezer for awhile, and while at Chuppa's farmer's market today, found a pack of veggies that I knew would be perfect with it- zucchini and squash.  So I sliced the veggies into coins, cut up some onion, and laid them on one half of a good 1.5 feet (ish...) of aluminum foil.  I used the kind that has a nonstick side.  Then I sprayed them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and mixed them around a little.

Then I took the roughy fillets and sprayed those with the oil as well, then used paprika, salt and pepper to season them.  I laid them on top of the veggies, added a little bit of lemon juice, and sealed the sides and then the tops of the packets.  Then they went into the preheated (400 degrees) oven for 20 minutes.  They came out perfect!

This technique is so easy and can be adapted to so many ingredients.  I want to try it with shrimp soon...