Skip to content
foodoseGet my numbers

Cod en papillote with fennel

Cod steamed in parchment with fennel and saffron potatoes.

By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
  • Confirm the parcels cook through in 15 to 18 minutes
  • Photograph the opened parcels
Time
About 40 min
estimated
Serves
2
see below
Energy
300 kcal
per serving
Protein
29 g
per serving
Jump to recipe
Not yet photographed. The panel names the dish’s main ingredients rather than showing a picture we have not taken.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Check off ingredients as you go.

Contains fish.

Cooking steps

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Boil the potatoes with the saffron for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender, then drain.

  2. Meanwhile, warm half the oil in a pan and soften the fennel for 6 to 8 minutes.

  3. Cut two large squares of baking paper. Divide the fennel between them, lay a cod fillet on each and add the water and the rest of the oil.

  4. Fold the paper over and crimp the edges tightly, leaving room inside for steam. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes.

    Cooked when: 63°C / 145°F, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.

  5. Open the parcels carefully, standing back from the steam, and serve with the potatoes and parsley.

The useful detail

Leave space inside each parcel for steam to circulate. Wrapped tight against the fish, the paper stops the steam moving and the fillet cooks unevenly.

Make it work for you

One serving is One parcel with 150 g of potatoes. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.

  • Haddock instead of cod

    Finer flakes, with the same safe endpoint.

    Per serving: about 10 kcal less, about 2 g less protein, about the same fat.

  • Sea bass instead of cod

    Richer and firmer, and it suits the fennel well.

    Per serving: about 20 kcal more, about 1 g more protein, about 2 g more fat.

  • Leave the saffron out

    Paler potatoes and no difference to the figures: saffron is listed as a trace ingredient.

Estimated nutrition

Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.

A lean dinner cooked without any browning fat beyond the oil in the parcel, which is counted in full.

Nutrition per serving
Energy300 kcal
Protein29 g
Fat6 g
of which saturates1 g
Carbohydrate34 g
of which sugars5 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium140 mg
Show calculation notes

Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.

Calculation, whole recipe
IngredientWeight usedSourceEnergyProtein
potatoes300 gFDC 170026Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw231 kcal6.1 g
saffron0.5 gFDC 170934Spices, saffronA pinch of saffron weighs about 0.1 g, well under 1 kcal on FoodData Central 170934. That record has no sugars value, so the saffron is listed here rather than counted, which keeps the recipe's sugars calculable.··
olive oil9 gFDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking80 kcal0.0 g
fennel200 gFDC 169385Fennel, bulb, raw62 kcal2.5 g
cod280 gFDC 171955Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw230 kcal49.9 g
water30 gNo energy0 kcal0.0 g
parsley5 gFDC 170416Parsley, fresh2 kcal0.1 g
Whole recipeDivided by 2605 kcal58.6 g

Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Ingredients marked “Not calculated” are excluded and could add at most 1 kcal to the whole recipe. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.

Storage and reheating

In the fridge
Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
In the freezer
The FDA chart gives cooked fish 4 to 6 months in the freezer for best quality.
Reheating
Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.

Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.

Try another recipe

Where this fits