Fish Wrapped in Vine Leaves with Yogurt Sauce

About 10 years ago a vine appeared in my garden and wound around the fence, looking beautiful.  It disappeared when the weather turned cold but reappeared each spring.  I finally took a good look at the leaves last year and realized the visitor was a grape vine. When I saw a recipe for cooking fish wrapped in vine leaves I was determined to give it a try using my very local grape vine.  If you don't have your own grape vine, buy a jar of preserved leaves.  I do not remember the source of this recipe but I got it from a Mediterranean cookbook.  This is my first try at steaming fish.  Shmooshed yukon gold potatoes and roasted asparagus complete the meal.

Be sure to make the yogurt sauce.  It is delicious.

12 large vine leaves, fresh or preserved

4 skinless turbot fillets (7 oz. each, checked for bones)

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 sprigs fresh dill

grated zest of 1 lemon

Cook leaves in boiling water ( 30 seconds for preserved, 5 minutes for fresh leaves).  Drain, pat dry with paper towels.  

Prepare steamer saucepan partially filled with water and bring to a simmer.

Place vine leaf, shiny side down, on work surface.  Slightly overlap another leaf, shiny side down.  Finally, place a third leaf in the center.  Place a turbot fillet in middle of leaves, season with salt and pepper and top with a dill sprig and a quarter of the lemon zest.  Wrap one fish fillet in leaves and turn edges in.  Repeat with 3 other fish fillets.  Arrange the 4 parcels in a steamer.  Cover and steam gently for 10 minutes or until the fish feels firm when pressed.

Yogurt Sauce

3/4 cup yogurt

3/4 cup ground walnuts

2 tsp. finely chopped dill

1 garlic clove, minced

While the fish is steaming, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Serve the sauce alongside the steamed fish parcels.

Serves 4 

NOTES: I couldn't find turbot so I used flounder fillets. 

The sauce is delicious on any plain fish and many different vegetable dishes  This recipe makes more than is needed for one meal and is extremely easy to prepare.