Whole sea bream cooked en papillote

40 minutes
serves 4
Easy

Fish can be intimidating to cook but this recipe for whole sea bream cooked en papillote is really easy and looks impressive when guests open it at the table

June 23, 2016 at 9:50 am

*This recipe is gluten-free according to industry standards

Ingredients

sea bream 4 whole, gutted and cleaned
lemons 3, juiced
fennel 1 small bulb, finely sliced
rosemary 8 sprigs
red chillies 2, seeded and finely sliced
white wine 200ml

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Tear 4 large sheets of baking paper and fold each in half – each piece should be big enough to fit a whole fish into. Season the sea bream inside and out with salt and pepper.
Step 2

Lay most of the lemons, slightly overlapping, inside the belly of each fish, followed by the fennel, a sprig of rosemary and the chilli. Put a few slices of lemon and a sprig of rosemary over the top of the fish, then tie in place with some butchers string and season again with salt and pepper.
Step 3

Put a fish in the centre of each piece of folded baking paper, then fold up the sides a little to catch the liquid. Divide the white wine and lemon juice over each fish, then scrunch the baking paper together to seal like a rough parcel. Put the parcels on a baking tray and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Step 4

Serve each guest a sealed parcel, allowing them to break open the paper themselves at the table, releasing the steam and cooking smells into the air.