How to Make an Origami Parchment Box for Baking Seafood

I know in Italian cooking, steam-baking seafood in parchment with herbs and broth is a common way to cook. At a cooking class I took at Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, chef Ramos put a Pacific Rim spin on that method by cooking a seafood medley in origami boxes made of parchment.

He and his students showed us, but it was too quick for my fumbling hands. Besides, I knew I’d seen the box pattern in one of my son’s origami books. Here is what the boxes looked like once folded.

I found step by step instructions here for making an origami box, also called “Masu” in Japanese. For the parchment box, simply make two of these – one for the bottom and one for the top.

Place bottom of boxes on cookie sheet and add raw seasoned seafood, herbs, vegetables and about two small ladles of broth – not enough to make it mushy, but enough liquid to get some steam going. Put top on securely. Bake in pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your seafood.

You may empty the contents once cooked, but if you are going through the trouble of making the box, why not place the whole box in a dish? Simply remove the top and serve.