Cod Fillet Papillote with Braised Fennel & Jasmine Rice (Easy postpartum digestion)
By the QuiteRecipes team (Jamy & Kaïna) | Food Service Professional, Early Childhood Expert & Parents
Cod baked in a parchment parcel with braised fennel and jasmine rice — mild, low-mercury and very gentle on digestion.
When restoring energy gently matters more than impressing anyone, this is the dinner to make: cod steamed in its own parchment parcel so it stays moist and easy to digest, fennel braised to sweet softness, and jasmine rice for grounded, gentle carbohydrate. Cod is a low-mercury white fish with a mild flavor — kind to food aversions and kind to a healing body.
🥄 Ingredients
- 🫗 2 cod fillets (about 150g / 5 oz each)
- 🫗 1 fennel bulb (about 300g), trimmed and thinly sliced
- 🫗 4 tablespoons low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 🫗 1/2 lemon, plus wedges to serve
- 🫗 2 sprigs parsley
- 🫗 1 cup (95g) dry jasmine rice
- 🫗 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 🫗 Salt and black pepper
Nutrition Facts*
*Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients, brands and portion sizes. Values are provided per serving.
👨🍳 Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cook the rice in a saucepan of salted water until tender, about 20 minutes; drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile, warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat and braise the fennel with a pinch of salt for 8–10 minutes, until soft and sweet; squeeze in half the lemon.
Place each cod fillet on a large sheet of parchment. Top with the fennel, a spoonful of broth, a parsley sprig, and seasoning. Fold the paper over and seal into a tight parcel.
Bake the parcels 12–14 minutes, until the paper puffs and the cod is opaque and flakes easily.
Serve the fish with its juices over the warm jasmine rice, with a lemon wedge on the side.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✕
Overfilling the parcel with liquid, which steams the fish into sogginess.
- ✕
Baking too long; check at 12 minutes and open one parcel to test.
- ✕
Leaving the fennel raw — braising it first is the entire softening trick.
🔄 Variations
Swap fennel for the white part of a leek when the market suggests it.
Use haddock or pollock in place of cod.
Add a few cherry tomato halves inside the parcel for color and sweetness.
🧊 Storage
- 📦
Fish is best straight from the parcel; the rice keeps 3 days.
- 📦
Leftover cod flakes into a cold salad or a mashed lunch later in the week.
💡 Chef Tips
Tip 1: The parcel steams the fish gently — one of the easiest meals to digest in the exhausting early weeks.
Tip 2: Cod is a low-mercury white fish, and its mildness helps when food aversions strike.
Tip 3: Seal the papillote well or the steam escapes and the fish dries out.
Tip 4: Don't over-salt inside the parcel — the broth carries enough seasoning.
❓ FAQ
Q
What is a papillote? A parchment parcel that steams food inside the oven — no frying, no oil bath, just gentle, moist cooking.
Q
Why fennel for postpartum? Fennel is traditionally gentle on digestion and pairs beautifully with light white fish for an easily absorbed meal.
Q
Is cod low in mercury? Yes — cod is a low-mercury white fish you can enjoy regularly during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
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About the Authors
This recipe and guide was developed, tested, and approved in our home kitchen and daily life. Jamy is a retired Food Service District Manager and Early Childhood Program Manager who spent his career overseeing multi-site restaurant operations, large-scale culinary production, and daycare menu management. Kaïna brings the ultimate real-world test: making sure it brings ease and joy to our kids on a busy weeknight.
Read more about our professional background and philosophy →