Gordon Ramsay’s fish en papillote is lemon sole rolled with dill, sat on a nest of finely sliced vegetables, then sealed in parchment with white wine and baked for 20 minutes. The parcel steams the fish so it stays moist, and you open it at the table for the smell.
He cooks it in his Ultimate Fit Food video, where he rates lemon sole as one of the most flavoursome flatfish. It has, in his words, “twice as much flavour and more importantly half the price” of Dover sole.
What makes his parcel different is the build. He rolls each fillet around dill like a sausage, sits it on a nest of leek, carrot, spring onion and garlic, then pours wine in before sealing the paper shut with a hot pan.
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Gordon Ramsay Fish en Papillote
Course: DinnerCuisine: British, FrenchDifficulty: Easy2
25
minutes20
minutes45
minutes480
kcalGordon Ramsay’s lemon sole en papillote steams a whole fish dinner inside one parchment parcel, ready in about 45 minutes with barely any washing up.
Ingredients
- Fish parcel
4 lemon sole fillets (about 130g each), skinned
Small bunch fresh dill
1 leek, trimmed and finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
3 tbsp olive oil
100ml dry white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Heat the oven: Preheat to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6), a properly hot oven.
- Skin and roll the sole: Lay each fillet skin-side down, nick the skin at the tail end, grip it and let the knife do the work to free the fillet. Season, lay a little dill on each and roll up like a sausage. Or ask your fishmonger to skin them.
- Prep the veg: Finely slice the leek, carrots, spring onions and garlic. Keep everything fine, sole is delicate and you don’t want to overpower it.
- Build the nest: Fold a large sheet of parchment in half and open it back out, reversing the curl so it lies flat. Pile the veg into a nest in the middle, season and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sit the rolled sole on top with the thyme and rosemary.
- Start the seal: Lay a second sheet of parchment over the top. From one corner, fold the edge over and over, working round, until nearly closed, leaving a small gap.
- Add wine and seal: Pour the wine in through the gap, then press a hot heavy pan down on the open edge to seal the paper completely.
- Bake: Cook for 20 minutes. Don’t open it. Bring the parcel to the table and open it there for the full hit of herb steam.
FAQs
What other fish can I use for en papillote?
Lemon sole is his pick here, but the parcel suits almost any fillet. Salmon is the forgiving option because the fat keeps it moist, so it is a good place to start.
Sea bass and cod work too, and Gordon has parcel recipes for both. Just match the time to the thickness: a thin sole fillet needs less than a chunky piece of cod.
Why does Gordon add white wine to the parcel?
As the parcel heats, the wine turns to steam and cooks the sole in its own fragrant cloud. His point is that it keeps the whole thing light and fresh, lifting the dish rather than weighing it down.
Can I use foil instead of parchment?
Yes. In his books Gordon says foil or baking parchment both work, so use whatever you have.
Parchment wins for serving though, because it browns and crackles and looks the part when each person tears theirs open at the table.
How do I know the fish is cooked without opening the parcel?
Trust the time and the puff. At 200°C a rolled sole fillet needs the full 20 minutes, and the parcel balloons up with trapped steam.
Opening it to peek lets the steam out and stalls the cooking, so rest it a couple of minutes, then open at the table.
What does Gordon serve with it?
On The F Word he plates it with Jersey Royals and red chard, keeping the sides light so they don’t fight the delicate fish.
Crushed new potatoes do the same job at home, soaking up the winey juices from the parcel.
