Pompano en papillote

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Pompano en papillote is an American dish hailing from New Orleans, where it was invented by Jules Alciatore at the famous Antoine's restaurant in honor of Brazilian balloonist Alberto Santos-Dumont. The dish is made using a French baking method in parchment paper called en papillote, hence the name of the dish. It's made with a combination of pompano fillets that are baked in parchment paper with a sauce consisting of white wine, shrimp, and crabmeat. Once packed, the dish is baked in a hot oven, and the steam will puff the paper up, so it will look similar to a balloon. Pompano en papillote is served in the same paper, and each patron slices the paper open before eating. Nowadays, there are many versions of the dish with additions such as sherry, mushrooms, tomatoes, flour, parsley, or paprika.