Fish en Papillote with Butter and Lemon is an easy main dish resulting in moist, tender, flavorful fish! Serve it up with your favorite side dishes for a lovely well-balanced meal.
Fish en Papillote with Butter, Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary - a healthy, whole30, paleo dinner recipe - low-carb and keto

Fish en papillote. Have you dabbled?

If you’re new to it, no sweat…I have covered everything you need to know in this post. And if you’re a seasoned veteran of the papillote, get ready for a squeaky clean and easy fish en papillote recipe!

What is Fish en Papillote?:

In case you’ve never tried it, fish en papillote is simply fish cooked in parchment paper. Fish is wrapped in parchment and bound using twine (or if you’re an expert at folding, you can simply fold the parchment paper, creating a packet) then baked in the oven to perfection. This cooking method ensures your fish stays nice and tender and yields a flavorful, delicious result!

If you’re interested in this cooking method, be sure to also check out my Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper and my Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper, Lemon Dill Cod in Parchment Paper with Capers and Pesto Salmon in Parchment Paper.

For this rendition of fish in parchment paper, we’re going with butter, lemon, garlic, and rosemary for a zesty, creamy, herby approach.

What Type of Fish to Use:

I use cod for this recipe, but you can go with virtually anything – salmon, halibut, and trout are all great choices! Cod is very subtle in flavor, and absorbs added flavors very well. In this sense, cod will not overpower the flavor profile you’re going for as it is light and buttery by itself.

Ingredients for Fish en Papillote:

Cod (or fish of choice): Fresh cod makes a lovely centerpiece and provides a marvelous canvass to allow lemon, butter rosemary and garlic flavors shine through.

Butter: Adding fat to moisturize and flavor the fish, melted butter or ghee makes a delicious fish! You can use avocado oil if you’re dairy-free!

Garlic: Fresh garlic goes a long way here in the flavor department!

Lemon: Both lemon zest and lemon juice bring acidity and tang to the dish, working in tandem with the butter and garlic for rounding out the flavor profile. You can also use fresh lime or orange if you have them on hand!

Fresh rosemary: Fresh or dried herbs are marvelous with animal protein! All you need is one sprig of fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary.

Sea salt: Super important for bringing out richness and enhancing all of the flavors!

Lemon or Orange Slices: to help lock in the moisture, add some flavor and for looks 🙂

You Will Also Need:

Make sure you have at least 16 inches of parchment paper and twine before setting out to make this recipe! I use this Compostable Unbleached Parchment Paper and Regency Natural Cooking Twine.

How to Make Lemon Butter Fish en Papillote:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the cod fillet on the center. Fold in the sides of the parchment paper to create a little boat (or crumble the sides just to ensure the melted butter and lemon juice doesn’t escape.

Note: You can either cook a whole large fillet in a big sheet of parchment paper, or you can cut it into smaller fillets for individual portion sizes. For this recipe, I made one large parchment packet to house a 1-lb cod fillet.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter (or avocado oil), garlic, lemon zest + juice and rosemary sprigs and stir well to combine. Drizzle this mixture over the cod fillet. Sprinkle the fish with sea salt and onion powder. Lay slices of lemon or orange over the fish.

Wrap the fillet into a parchment packet, using twine to secure either end. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Unwrap, and enjoy with choice of side dishes.

Recipe Adaptations:

Use salmon, halibut, trout, or fish of choice instead of cod.
Keep it dairy-free (and whole30-compliant) by replacing the butter with avocado oil.
Use orange juice or lime juice (and zest) instead of lemon juice.
You can change up the seasonings and dried herbs to your heart’s delight! Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, ground cumin, dried oregano, paprika, and curry powder are some of my favorites
Add sun-dried tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes.
Omit the onion powder and garlic to make low-FODMAP
Cook individual fish fillets in individual parchment packets rather than cooking the whole fillet in one large packet.

Serving Suggestions:

Here are some of my favorite side dishes that will create a balanced, delicious meal:

May all your cod be perfectly buttery, zesty, and tender!

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!