Why use lettuce instead of vine leaves?

It is a genuine regional variation from Rhodes and the Dodecanese, giving a softer, sweeter, less tannic wrap than a vine leaf, and it is a practical option when vine leaves are not in season.

Can you add meat to the filling?

Yes, a version with minced meat added to the rice filling exists in some households, following the same principle as meat-filled dolmades or Cypriot koupepia, though the plain rice version is the more classic Rhodian preparation.

How do you stop the lettuce rolls falling apart?

Roll gently with a slightly smaller amount of filling than you would use for vine leaves, and weight the pot properly with a plate during cooking so the rolls cannot shift and unravel.

Rhodes Lettuce-Wrapped Rice Rolls Recipe (Marouli Dolmades)

Vine leaves are the wrap most people picture when they think of dolmades, but Rhodes and the wider Dodecanese have their own variation using blanched cos or romaine lettuce leaves instead, giving a considerably softer, sweeter, less mineral-tasting parcel than the slightly tannic bite of a vine leaf.

The filling and technique are otherwise close cousins of any rice-stuffed dolmades: raw rice, onion and herbs rolled inside the leaf, packed tight, weighted, and simmered gently until the rice has swollen and cooked through, finished either simply with lemon or with a full avgolemono sauce.

Lettuce leaves are considerably more delicate than vine leaves and tear more easily, so this version rewards a gentler hand at every stage, from blanching through to rolling.

Key preparation steps

Blanch whole lettuce leaves briefly to soften them.
Mix a rice filling with herbs and onion.
Roll gently, since lettuce tears more easily than vine leaves.
Simmer under a weighted plate and finish with lemon or avgolemono.

Preparing the lettuce

Cos or romaine lettuce, with its sturdier, more structured leaves, holds up far better to this treatment than a soft butterhead variety. Separate the leaves carefully, keeping them as whole as possible, and blanch briefly in boiling water, just twenty to thirty seconds, until they wilt and turn pliable.

Plunge immediately into cold water to stop them cooking further and losing too much structure, then drain well and pat dry before using, trimming any particularly thick central rib so it folds easily.

The filling

Raw medium grain rice, mixed with grated onion, chopped dill and mint, a little olive oil and a spoon of tomato paste, is the standard vegan filling, close in spirit to mainland dolmades. Season it well, since it needs to carry flavour through both the leaf and the cooking liquid.

Rolling and cooking gently

Lettuce leaves are more delicate than vine leaves and split more easily under pressure, so roll with a lighter hand, filling each leaf with a slightly smaller amount than you would a vine leaf, and take a little more care folding the sides in before rolling closed.

Line the pot with any torn leaves, pack the rolls tightly seam side down, weight with a plate, and simmer gently for thirty-five to forty minutes. Finish with a simple squeeze of lemon, or with a full avgolemono sauce tempered in at the end, exactly as you would for vine leaf dolmades.

What matters in this dish

Use cos or romaine, not a soft lettuce

Sturdier leaves hold up far better to blanching and rolling than a delicate butterhead variety, which tends to fall apart.

Roll gently

Lettuce tears more easily than vine leaves. A slightly smaller amount of filling and a gentler hand keeps the rolls intact.

Do not over-blanch

Twenty to thirty seconds is enough to make the leaves pliable. Longer and they lose too much structure to roll properly.

Rhodes Lettuce-Wrapped Rice Rolls (Marouli Dolmades)