6 days ago
Tomás Gormley's cod en papillote recipe
Cooking fish en papillote — wrapping it up and steaming it gently — sounds more technical than it is. While parchment paper or tin foil is the modern go-to, people have been cooking this way for ever, from banana-leaf steaming in South America to clay-pot cooking in Asia.
Here, sweet, slow-cooked leeks and wild garlic create a mellow, allium-rich base that makes everything taste better, while romesco — a smoky, nutty sauce born from Spanish fishermen making the most of what they had — brings contrast. Traditionally, romesco was about stretching ingredients, thickened with stale bread and ground nuts rather than just olive oil. This version keeps that spirit alive, with a touch of dark chocolate for extra depth.
I first came across romesco while cooking in Catalonia during the summer months as a private chef early in my career. I was pretty out of my depth — or at least it felt that way at the time — so I stuck to recipes I knew I could get the ingredients for. Most of them came from the outstanding cookbook Catalan Cuisine by Colman Andrews, a deeply researched and practical guide filled with recipes, stories, and anecdotes about the region's rich history, language, and culture. It became an essential resource, not just for its insightful recipes, but for helping me to understand the context behind the food — which, in Catalonia, means everything.
Serves 2For the cod en papillote
• 2 fillets of cod (about 150g each)• 1 medium leek, thinly sliced• 1 small handful wild garlic, roughly chopped• 1 tbsp olive oil• 1 tbsp white wine• ½ Amalfi lemon, zest and juice• Salt and black pepper• Tin foil sheets
For the romesco
• 30g blanched almonds• 1 small slice stale bread, torn into pieces• 2 roasted red peppers (jarred or freshly roasted)• 1 garlic clove, peeled• 1 tsp smoked paprika• ½ tsp sherry vinegar• 3 tbsp olive oil• 10g dark chocolate (85 per cent cocoa or higher), finely chopped• Salt and black pepper
1. To make the romesco, toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, then set aside. Toast the bread in the same pan with a drizzle of olive oil until crisp.
2. Blend together the roasted red peppers, toasted bread, almonds, garlic, smoked paprika and sherry vinegar until mostly smooth. With the blender running, drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Stir in the dark chocolate while the sauce is still slightly warm, letting it melt into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
3. Now prepare the cod. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6, lay out two sheets of parchment paper and divide the sliced leeks and wild garlic between them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place a cod fillet on top of each pile of leeks. Drizzle with white wine, lemon juice and a little olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Fold the parchment over the fish and crimp the edges tightly to form a sealed parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 min, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
• Read more restaurant reviews and recipes from our food experts
4. To assemble, open the cod parcels carefully and transfer the fish with its leeks to a plate. Spoon the stale bread romesco over or alongside the fish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with a few wild garlic leaves for freshness.
Tomás Gormley is owner and head chef at Cardinal in Edinburgh's Eyre Place (
