Delicate fish and vegetables are sometimes tricky to cook when you place them directly on a hot grill rack. It doesn’t take much heat to dry them out. Seal fish in their own little pouches and the boneless pieces will steam and turn deliciously flaky. The traditional French en papillote method, typically used with parchment in the oven, encases tender ingredients in packets shaped into half-moons. Here, the parchment is replaced with heavy-duty foil, the oven by the grill, and the kitchen never heats up.

Everything but the fish that goes into the packets should be thinly sliced (especially dense vegetables like potatoes) or cut into fine pieces. Layer zucchini with tomatoes in a riff on the spicy puttanesca sauce for hake or another firm-fleshed white fish, or add shiitakes to soy-basted salmon. Experiment with seasonal vegetables, serve each diner a packet to open, and your foil surprises will be your ticket to summertime bliss. You know what they say about people who can’t stand the heat of the kitchen.

CLAUDIA CATALANO

On The Grill