Gordon Ramsay’s baked salmon is a whole fish, scored and laid on a thick bed of herbs. It is then sealed in foil with star anise, lemongrass, and caramelised lemons. It steams in its own fragrant air for under half an hour, and the smell when you open the parcel is the best part.
It comes from his book Sunday Lunch, and the idea is gentle. As Gordon puts it in the video, you “bake it on a bed of herbs, real nice fresh fragrant herbs.” The fish takes on their scent as it cooks. He scores the skin first, which speeds things up and lets the herb flavour work its way inside.
The fold is what makes it. You wrap the foil loosely, like a big Cornish pasty, leaving room at the top so the steam can move around the fish. Seal it too tight and it cooks unevenly. Leave that pocket of air and the whole salmon comes out soft and even.
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Gordon Ramsay Baked Salmon
Course: MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes30
minutes320
kcal50
minutesA whole salmon from Gordon’s Sunday Lunch, scored and steamed in a foil parcel over fresh herbs, lemongrass, star anise, and caramelised lemon. Serves 6 to 8 as a centrepiece, about 320 kcal a portion, and bakes in 25 to 30 minutes.
Ingredients
1 whole salmon, about 1.6kg (3½ lb), scaled and gutted
Olive oil, for cooking and drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs each of rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, and parsley
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
2 to 3 lemongrass stalks, split and bruised
1 large or 3 small lemons, thickly sliced
5 to 6 star anise
1 tsp mixed or black peppercorns
Directions
- Trim and score the salmon: Snip off the fins and trim the tail with kitchen scissors, then pat the fish dry inside and out. Score the skin on both sides at 1 to 2cm intervals. Rub all over with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Build the herb bed: Lay two large sheets of foil on top of each other. Scatter the bay, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, and parsley across the middle. Add the lemongrass, then squeeze the cut garlic over the herbs and tuck the bulb in.
- Sit the fish on top: Lay the salmon on the herb bed and bend it gently so the flavours press into the scored skin. Push a few herbs and some garlic into the cavity too.
- Caramelise the lemons: Fry the lemon slices in a little olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges colour. Season them, then tuck them around and inside the fish.
- Add the spice: Scatter the star anise and peppercorns over and around the salmon, slipping some into the cavity. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
- Fold the parcel: Bring the foil up and fold the edges together like a Cornish pasty, leaving space above the fish for steam. Sit the parcel in a roasting tin.
- Bake and rest: Cook at 190C (375F), gas 5, for 25 to 30 minutes. Without opening the foil, rest the fish for 5 to 10 minutes. Unwrap, peel back the skin, and slide the flesh off the bone with a spoon.
Notes
- The two layers of foil stop the parcel splitting as it puffs up. If your salmon is smaller or larger, check it a few minutes early or late, the flesh should slide cleanly off the bone when it is done.
FAQs
Is this the same as Gordon’s salmon en papillote?
Near enough, and this is the page most people land on searching for it. Gordon bakes this salmon in a foil parcel, which works exactly like en papillote. The fish steams in its own trapped, herb-scented air rather than drying in open heat.
The one difference is the wrapping. His proper paper en papillote recipe is actually lemon sole, rolled with dill on a bed of leeks and carrots in baking parchment. For salmon he reaches for foil instead, but the principle is the same.
If you want the technique on its own, I have a separate fish en papillote guide.
Why bake a whole salmon instead of fillets?
Gordon does the whole fish on purpose. The bones and skin keep it moist, and the cavity holds all the herbs and lemon. It makes a proper centrepiece you carve at the table.
He even gives it “a bit of a haircut” first, trimming the fins so it sits neatly.
You can absolutely use fillets if you are cooking for two. Build a smaller herb bed, lay the fillets skin-down, add a couple of caramelised lemon slices, and seal the foil the same way. Drop the time right down, to around 15 minutes, or sear them instead for Ramsay’s crispy skin salmon.
Why score the salmon skin before baking?
Gordon scores both sides with a sharp knife, about half an inch apart, cutting just down to the flesh. He says it lets the salmon “cook evenly and it also speeds the process up.” The thick middle is then not lagging behind the thin tail.
There is a second reason he points out. As you bend the scored fish onto the herbs, the cuts open up. The flavour then works its way inside rather than just sitting on the surface.
If you want to know when any salmon is done, the salmon cooking times guide has the numbers by method.
What herbs and aromatics go in the parcel?
It is a generous, mixed bed: bay, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, and parsley, stalks and all. Gordon wants it “real nice fresh fragrant,” so do not be shy with it. The garlic goes in unpeeled, just halved and squeezed over the top.
The two that surprise people are lemongrass and star anise. He splits and bruises the lemongrass to open up its scent, and scatters star anise over the fish and into the cavity. Together they give the salmon a warm, faintly aniseed perfume you do not get from herbs alone.
Why caramelise the lemons first?
A raw lemon slice just sits there, but a caramelised one earns its place. Frying the slices for a couple of minutes softens their sharpness. It brings out a sweeter, rounder citrus note that seeps into the fish as it steams.
They do double duty as well. Once the salmon is cooked you lift the lemons out and serve them as the garnish. The same slices flavour the dish and then dress the plate.
It takes a few minutes more, but it is the step that lifts the whole thing.
What does Gordon serve with it?
On the video he pairs it with a pink grapefruit hollandaise, made with olive oil instead of butter. That keeps it light and zesty rather than heavy. Spooned over the warm pink flesh, it is the part he calls the perfect Sunday lunch.
Beyond that he keeps it simple: minted new potatoes and a crisp rocket salad with red onion. It is a meal built around the fish, so the sides stay fresh and let the salmon lead. If you are weighing up a different dish entirely, the salmon recipe collection compares every option side by side.
