USAThe seal is everything. A loose packet leaks steam, and steam is what does the cooking. Roll the foil edges at least twice — it takes an extra ten seconds and makes a real difference to the result.
Put vegetables on the bottom, fish on top. The bottom of the packet gets the most heat, and vegetables need longer to soften than fish does.
Foil Packet Fish
By Sergei Martynov
White fish fillets sealed in foil with cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, zucchini and lemon. Everything steams together in 15 minutes — on the grill or in the oven. Zero cleanup.
Key Ingredients
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 700 g
See recipes with white fish filletswhite fish fillets (cod, sea bass, halibut), 2–3 cm thick
i - 200 g
See recipes with cherry tomatoescherry tomatoes, halved
i - 1
See recipes with medium zucchinimedium zucchini, thinly sliced
i - 80 g
See recipes with pitted olivespitted olives (kalamata or green), halved
i - 2 tbsp
See recipes with caperscapers, drained
i - 4
See recipes with garlic clovesgarlic cloves, thinly sliced
i - 4 tbsp
See recipes with olive oilolive oil
i - 3 tbsp
See recipes with lemon juicelemon juice
i - 1See recipes with lemon
lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
i - 1 tsp
See recipes with dried oreganodried oregano
i - 0.5 tsp
See recipes with red pepper flakesred pepper flakes
i - 1 tsp
- 0.5 tsp
See recipes with black pepperblack pepper
i - 3 tbsp
See recipes with fresh parsleyfresh parsley, chopped
i
How to make it
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F), or heat a grill to medium-high with the lid closed.
- 2
Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty foil, about 40 cm each. Place each sheet in a bowl to make folding easier.
- 3
Divide zucchini, tomatoes, olives, capers and garlic between the four sheets, piling them in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and oregano.
- 4
Lay a fish fillet on top of each vegetable pile. Drizzle with lemon juice, add red pepper flakes and lay 2–3 lemon slices on top.
- 5
Fold the long sides of the foil together over the fish and roll down in tight double folds to seal. Then fold and roll the short ends tightly. Leave a little air space inside — the steam needs room to move.
- 6
Oven: place packets on a baking sheet and bake 12–15 minutes. Grill: place directly on the grates and cook 10–12 minutes with the lid closed. No need to flip.
- 7
Let packets rest 3 minutes before opening — the steam inside is scalding. Open carefully, away from your face. Scatter parsley and serve straight from the foil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did fish cooked in foil in the oven turn out dry instead of moist and tender?
Most likely the packet wasn't sealed tightly enough and steam escaped during cooking. Steam is the whole mechanism here — it builds up inside and cooks the fish gently from all sides. Fold the foil edges at least twice in double folds on every side. Second possibility: overcooked. At 200°C, a 2–3 cm thick white fish fillet is done in 12–15 minutes. After that the steam keeps working and the flesh dries out.
At what temperature and how many minutes to cook fish in foil in the oven?
200°C for 12–15 minutes for fillets around 2–3 cm thick. On the grill it's the same time at medium-high heat with the lid down. To check doneness without opening every packet: press lightly on top of the foil — cooked fish feels firm and slightly springy. Or open one packet and test with a fork at the thickest part: it should flake easily and look opaque all the way through.
Can you cook foil packet fish on a barbecue or grill — is the time different from the oven?
Nearly the same — 10 to 12 minutes on medium heat with the lid closed. The key difference is that a grill heats strongly from below, so always put vegetables at the bottom and fish on top. Don't flip the packets. For grilling, use foil only — parchment paper will burn over direct flame. Heavy-duty foil or a double layer of regular foil holds up better on the grates.
What fish is best for cooking in foil packets — which kind doesn't fall apart or dry out?
Cod, halibut, sea bass, mahi-mahi and dorade all hold their shape well inside a foil packet. Tilapia and pollock work too but run thinner — cut 2–3 minutes off the time. Salmon is excellent in foil because its fat content keeps it naturally moist even if you go a minute over. Avoid very thin fillets under 1.5 cm — they overcook in the trapped steam before you've had time to open the packet.
Can you assemble foil packet fish ahead of time and how long can you store them before cooking?
You can build the packets up to 24 hours ahead and keep them in the fridge — great for camping or a planned dinner. One thing to watch: if your recipe includes lemon juice, add it just before sealing, not the night before. Citric acid starts chemically denaturing fish protein within a few hours, and by morning the flesh will be mushy before it hits any heat. Everything else — vegetables, herbs, oil — can go in the night before without any issue.
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