These grilled Mediterranean Fish Foil Packets, made with white fish, tomatoes, olives, and sweet peppers, are fresh, flavorful, and perfect for summer grilling. No cleanup required!
Mediterranean Fish Foil Packets
I love a no-fuss dinner, especially in the summer when I’m grilling as much as possible. These Mediterranean-style fish foil packets are one of my go-to quick easy dinner ideas: flaky white fish—like flounder, cod, or sea bass—nestled with juicy tomatoes, briny olives, capers, and fresh herbs. Wrapped up in foil and tossed on the grill, everything steams together to perfection in under 30 minutes. It’s healthy, quick, and mess-free—just toss the foil! Serve it with crusty bread, pita, or over couscous for a more filling meal. If you want a more classic version, check out my grilled Fish Foil Packets recipe—it’s a reader favorite.
Made this last night on the grill and I thought it was fantastic! ….and I’m not really into fish but the husband is and has been asking for some. I used cod and did not have capers on hand but I found the cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers refreshing and the dill finished it off perfectly. I’ll be making this again.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This grilled fish features Mediterranean pantry staples. See exact measurements below.
White Fish Fillets: Use fresh or frozen white fish. Flounder, porgy, cod, branzino, or bass would all be good. I always choose what’s freshest at my local seafood market. If frozen, thaw first.
Castelvetrano Olives, a green Italian olive, are rich and buttery.
Cherry Tomatoes soften and get sweeter as they cook.
Mini Sweet Peppers are the mini bell peppers sold in a bag—any color works.
Capers, commonly found in Mediterranean cuisine, offer a briny, tangy flavor.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet and is rich in monounsaturated fats.
Lemon: Use the zest and juice for maximum lemon flavor.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes for heat
Fresh Herbs: Chopped parsley and dill
Salt and Black Pepper for seasoning
Foil: Use heavy-duty foil to ensure the packets don’t rip.
Wrapping fish tightly in foil gently steams it while grilling it, resulting in tender fish. It also prevents the fillets from sticking to the grill, making cleanup easier.
Grilling these foil packets couldn’t be easier. Simply layer the fish, vegetables, and capers onto a large piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and lemon, seal, and grill over medium-high heat for 10–12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!
No grill? No problem!
Bake the fish packets on a baking sheet at 375°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Olives: Swap Castelvetrano with kalamata or Manzanilla. If you don’t like olives, omit them.
Other Veggies: Add sliced zucchini, artichokes, thinly sliced fennel, or roasted peppers.
Herbs: Use basil or chives.
Serving Suggestions
This Mediterranean grilled fish works as a light, low-carb dinner, but if you want to make it more filling, here are some side dish ideas to pair with it.
Yield: 2 servings
Serving Size: 1 packet
Ingredients
▢ 2 6 ounce skinless white fish fillets, such as flounder, porgy, cod, bass, etc▢ 10 castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved▢ 4 mini sweet peppers, halved lengthwise▢ 2 tablespoons capers, drained ▢ 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil▢ 1 lemon▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes▢ 2 tablespoons parsley, and fresh dill, chopped ▢ ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt▢ Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Add the olives, tomatoes, peppers, capers and olive oil to a mixing bowl. Slice the lemon in half and zest it then squeeze the juice of the half into the bowl along with the zest. Slice the other half into 4 rounds and set aside. To the bowl add the red pepper flakes and toss everything to combine.
Season the fish with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper, to taste and top each piece with 2 slices of lemon.
Preheat an outdoor grill turning all the burners over high heat until it’s 350°F. Reduce the flame to medium heat, keeping one side on low.
Tear off 2, 12-inch pieces of heavy duty foil. Spoon half of the veggies onto the center of each piece of foil. Place a piece of fish on top of the veggies. Top with remaining vegetables and any leftover liquid from the bowl over the vegetables then the lemon slices. Bring two ends up and over the fish and crimp to close. Crimp sides so everything is completely enclosed and no steam escapes. Transfer the foil packets to a rimmed baking sheet to easily transport to the grill.
Carefully place the foil packets on the low heat side of the grill and quickly close the lid. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Remove the foil packets to the rimmed baking sheet and let sit for 5 minutes before opening.
Open the foil packets, there will be hot steam trapped inside so use caution while opening. Top with parsley and dill and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 packet, Calories: 267 kcal, Carbohydrates: 13 g, Protein: 32.5 g, Fat: 10.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 73 mg, Sodium: 641.5 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 6 g
Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 3 days.
How to Reheat: You can reheat the fish in the microwave, heat it in the oven at 300°F, or warm it in a skillet on the stove. You can also eat it cold.