Baked fish dinners can be so dull. Not this one! Think – spaghetti puttanesca flavours in the form of a one pan fish dinner. It’s a Puttanesca fish tray bake! Good for you, easy to make, fabulously delicious.

No more dull baked fish dinners!

This is a dinner inspired by pasta puttanesca – minus the spaghetti, multiple pots and stove splatter. The sauce has all the trademarks – tomato, olives, capers, even anchovies (!) – but it’s baked on one tray with fish, potatoes to fill it out and fennel for a grown up touch.

It’s a complete meal, colourful, good for you, vibrant, and anything but boring. I throw this last line in because I spent my twenties convinced fish couldn’t be tasty unless it had been seared or fried. This recipe would’ve changed my mind!

Ingredients you need for this tray bake dinner

Here’s what you need to make this Puttanesca fish tray bake.

White fish fillets

I use barramundi in this recipe. The meaty and juicy flesh makes it ideal for the assertive Mediterranean flavour of the puttanesca-ish sauce, and the fillets are thick enough to make them suitable for cooking in the oven.

But any firm, white fish fillets about 2.5 – 3 cm/1″ thick will work a treat here. See below for a list.

for the Puttanesca SAUCE

Here’s what you need for the puttanesca-ish part – most of the ingredients used in puttanesca plus potatoes to bulk it out and fennel for flavour and a touch of grown-up sweetness (it’s really good, urge you not to skip it!).

• Anchovies – Addressing this right up front because I know it’s a divisive ingredient! But they really do add savouriness, and it’s a key ingredient in Puttanesca. Think of it as the better salt. But, if you’re very anti-anchovies, you can either reduce to 1 anchovy or substitute with 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 tsp extra cooking salt / kosher salt.

• Fennel – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s such an under-utilised vegetable! It has subtle aniseed flavour which adds freshness and interest to dishes, it’s economical most of the year round and easy to cut. It deserves way more love in everyday cooking!

• Baby capers and kalamata olives – Lovely briny pops that add tang and salt into the sauce as it bakes. I use baby capers because they’re smaller – if using regular capers, just give them a rough chop. And I prefer kalamata over regular black olives as they are softer and have better flavour.

• Baby potatoes – Or regular potatoes, peeled, and cut. Any type of potato is fine here.

• Canned tomato – This is the primary ingredient that creates the sauce for this dish.

• Cherry or grape tomatoes – These add pops of juicy bursts in the sauce. They cook through enough so they are soft but are still holding together when they come out of the oven.

• Garlic – Of course it’s in. 3 big cloves!

• Oregano – For background flavour without competing with all the other flavours.

• Chilli flakes – Also called red pepper flakes, the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon which is barely enough for a mild level of spiciness. Feel free to omit – or add more! You can also add your favourite chilli sauce when eating, if you want more heat.

• Basil (optional!) – Yes, if you’ve got a basil bush in your backyard, it is a great finish for this dish. But don’t let the absence of basil hold you back from making this! Excellent substitutes – parsley (any kind), chives (just a light sprinkle).

How to make Puttanesca fish tray bake dinner

I know most simple tray bake dinners call for everything to go into the oven at once, but this one is a 3-stage bake: potatoes first, then the puttanesca sauce, and finally the fish (we don’t want to overcook it!). It actually flows nicely – you leisurely prep the next component while the last one bakes, and have time to put your feet up with a glass of wine in between.

1. Potatoes first – Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Then pop in the oven to give them a 20 minute head start.

2. Puttanesca sauce (stew?) next – Mix up the puttanesca sauce ingredients (the canned tomato, veg, dried oregano, olives, capers and anchovies). Then add it to the tray and bake for another 10 minutes. Note: the mixture doesn’t look very saucy but once baked and combined with the juices from the fish, you will have plenty of sauce.

3. Top with fish – Then put the fish on top, drizzle everything with olive oil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

4. Serve – Sprinkle with basil (if using) and the reserved fennel fronds. And that’s it – dinner’s up!

Matters of serving

I always feel like thick semi-stewy sort of dishes like this are crying out for crusty bread that you can stuff, and use for dunking and mopping, or crispy crostini for scooping and piling. Though actually, the potato in this dish fills it out so even without bread, the portion servings are decent. Let’s say without bread it’s a sensible serving size. With bread, it’s a generous serving size.

You could also increase the amount of potato in this to fill it out more and serve without bread. Or serve it over another starchy vehicle of choice – pasta, couscous (plain – no nuts, herbs, fruit or lemon), or rice (plain, or try garlic rice!).

So many possibilities…..share your thoughts! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Puttanesca Fish Tray Bake

Recipe video above. Baked fish dinners can be so dull. Not this one! Think – spaghetti puttanesca flavours in the form of a one pan fish dinner. It's a Puttanesca fish tray bake! Good for you, easy to make, fabulously delicious.

Note: If you only have fine table salt, halve the salt quantities else it will be too salty.

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword baked fish, fish tray bake, sheet pan dinner, sheet pan fish recipe, tray bake dinner

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Calories 433cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Roasted potatoes:

• 600g/1.2 lb baby potatoes , smaller ones up to 3.5cm/1.5″ halved, larger ones quartered (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Puttanesca sauce:

• 1 medium fennel , fronds reserved for garnish, halved, cut into 0.5cm / 0.2" half moon shapes (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups (200g) cherry or grape tomatoes (1 punnet)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced (can use garlic crusher)
• 3 tbsp baby capers (or regular, roughly chopped)
• 3 anchovy fillets , finely minced – can reduce to 1 (Note 3)
• 400g/ 14oz canned tomato , crushed or diced
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), mild spiciness, can reduce or omit
• 1 tsp dried organo
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Fish:

• 4 x 160 – 180g / 6oz barramundi fillets , skinless, or other firm fish fillets about 2.5/3cm/1" thick (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Finishing / serving:

• 1 loosely packed cup basil leaves , roughly chopped (recommended but can live without or sub with 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley)
• Warm crusty bread , for mopping

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 220°C/390°F (200°C fan-forced).
• Roast potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking tray with a rim at least 2cm/0.8" high (or 23x33cm / 9×13" pan). Roast for 20 minutes.
• Puttanesca sauce: Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together (use the potato bowl, no need to clean). Add to the tray, toss with the potatoes, return to the oven for 10 minutes.
• Season fish: Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Sprinkle each side with the salt and pepper.
• Bake fish: Place fish on top of puttanesca sauce. Drizzle all over with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Bake 15 minutes or until fish is just cooked through (it should flake easily).
• Serve: Remove from the oven. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, scatter with basil and reserved fennel fronds. Serve with warm, crusty bread!

Notes

1. Potato – Cut into pieces no thicker than 1.75cm/ 2/3″, else they may not cook through enough. You can also use regular potatoes, peeled or unpeeled scrubbed clean, cut into small cubes.

2. Cut fennel – Cut off the stalks and fronds (save the dill-like fine fronds for garnish). Slice a thin piece off the base if it’s browned. Slice the fennel bulb in half vertically, then cut each half into 0.5cm / 0.2″ thin half-moon shapes.

3. Anchovies – Secret ingredient! I know anchovies are divisive. But they really do add savouriness. Think of it as the better salt! 3 anchovies = faintly taste, 1 anchovy = can’t taste. But, if you’re very anti anchovies, substitute with 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 tsp heaped extra cooking/kosher salt.

4. Fish fillets

• Suitable for this recipe – any firm white fish fillets that are ~2.5cm/1″ thick including: cod (any), emperor, grouper, gummy shark, hake, halibut, jewfish (mulloway), ling, monkfish (large), ocean trout, pollock (aka coley), salmon, snapper, stripe bass, tilapia – the thick part.
• Frozen fish – Thaw and pat off excess water well, then proceed with recipe.
• Small thin fish fillets (like bream or dory) and long narrow fish (flathead or monkfish) – cooks faster, see Ingredients section in post for recipe adjustment.
• Avoid: lean fish (swordfish, tuna, kingfish, mahi mahi) – risky to cook well in the oven, oily fish (mackerel, sardines).

Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving, excluding bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 433cal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1426mg | Potassium: 1976mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 772IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg

Some of my favourite fish dinner recipes

Sizzling Ginger Fish makes a frequent appearance around here – it’s so quick and easy!

Acqua Pazza – Italian Poached Fish

Sizzling Ginger Steamed Fish

Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce

Lemon garlic salmon tray bake – easy & healthy!

Whole Baked Fish – Snapper with Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce

Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)

Fish Tacos

Fish Chowder Soup

Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca Baiana)

Fish Pie (for Easter!)

Fish recipes

Life of Dozer

Look who starred on Better Homes & Gardens last Friday! 🥰

As his personal assistant, I was caught on camera once or twice too, along with Mama RecipeTin and our very own JB. Hard to say who stole the show – Mama RecipeTin by declaring herself the winner in the gyoza wrapping competition and that “everybody else comes last” (I mean, who says that to a famous person like Johanna Griggs??! 🤦🏻‍♀️)……..

……or JB for his show-off appetiser he made especially for the host Johanna Griggs – a crispy kataifi wrapped scampi (langoustine) with a yuzu beurre blanc, green shiso/ginger oil and a crispy shiso leaf. French X Japanese fusion for the homemade Japanese feast we did for the show!

As for Mr Dozer, I’m disappointed to report that his usual professional behaviour slipped up somewhat. Let’s just say there were a few diva moments, howling dramatically if he was not in shot or physically glued to my side. Clearly, he didn’t like being on the sidelines.

It even got to the point where he was ruining takes – just look at JB’s face in the photo below as Dozer howls mid-filming. So, we had to assign someone the very important (full-time) job of being the official Dozer silencer. That lucky person was Candice, my publicist from Pan Macmillan (my publisher). Poor thing had to endure smelly old-man Dozer breath huffed and barked in her face all afternoon! 😂

To catch up, you can watch it here on 7Plus. (I’m sorry to say it’s not available for overseas viewers though I will ask the BHG team if we can arrange something.)

The post Puttanesca fish tray bake appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a tasty salmon tray bake recipe that’s as simple as it is healthy. Salmon is slathered with an assertive lemon garlic paste that adds a stack of flavour, then cooks in just 11 minutes alongside parmesan asparagus and blistered cherry tomatoes. Sheet pan oven dinner. No stove splatter – yay!

Lemon garlic salmon tray bake

I am a little fussy about baked salmon recipes because a pale, colourless salmon fillet just doesn’t rock my boat. Give me caramelisation! A sticky glaze! A crunchy crust!

Thus, I tend to default to the stove. Also, crispy salmon skin. Yessss!

But for those days when I want to keep things simple – no stove splatter, no separate vegetable side – this salmon recipe is one I’ve made repeatedly over the past year. The secret is a bold lemon garlic slather-marinade. I know the word “slather” is not the most flattering, but that’s what this is and that’s what makes this oven salmon so tasty. It infuses the flesh with flavour but it’s also thick enough to stick to the surface of the salmon so it adds plenty of flavour even if you don’t have an hour to marinade.

Also – proof of moist flaky flesh. ⬇️ No overcooked dry salmon in pursuit of surface browning!

Ingredients

Here’s all you need to make this salmon tray bake.

The salmon and marinade-paste

• Salmon – It doesn’t matter if it’s skinless or skin on as the paste isn’t slathered on the underside. The skin won’t go crisp so if this bothers you, just eat the flesh off the skin. There’s enough paste to use for 4 fillets up to 200g/7oz. The standard serving size is 180g/6 oz of salmon per person. Substitute: recipe also works perfectly with trout.

• Dijon mustard – This thickens the marinade into a paste that sticks to the salmon as well as adding a little mustard tang. You can’t really taste it, to be honest.

• Garlic – The garlic cloves are grated finely so they almost dissolve into the paste. I prefer this to finely chopping so you don’t get little burnt lumps on the salmon, though if you don’t have a microplane or fine grater then just really finely mince the garlic.

• Lemon – We’re using both the zest and juice. Zest for actual lemon flavour, and juice for tang. (Because lemon juice really is mostly just sour, most of the lemon flavour is in the zest).

• Oil – Helps give the salmon colour.

• Salt and pepper – Fish likes salt! Don’t shortchange yourself.

The vegetables

I’m using asparagus and cherry tomatoes because they cook in the same time as the salmon. Try to use thicker asparagus, else it will get a little too soft. If you can only find thin ones, consider adding them onto the tray partway through the cook time.

• Asparagus – No need to trim the asparagus with a knife! Did you know the ends will naturally break at the point where the woody end is. Try it, it totally works! (But not with limp old ones).

• Cherry tomatoes – Well, grape tomatoes actually! I use one standard punnet (200g/7 oz).

• Salt, pepper and olive oil – For seasoning.

• Parmesan – For showering at the end. Instant face lift!

Alternative vegetables – Anything that can cook in the same time as the salmon, such as green beans or thin broccolini (split thick ones in half lengthwise). I love how the florets go crunchy!

How to make this Lemon Garlic Salmon Tray Bake

It may become my mission in life to create more recipes that require only FOUR step photos.

(Though, we both know it’s not going to happen. I’ll get bored. I need to throw in challenges every now and then!!)

1. Lemon garlic slather – Mix the lemon garlic paste ingredients together then slather onto the surface and side of the salmon. Use all the paste – there should be just enough to coat all the surface. No point doing the underside, it will just sweat off.

   Marinade for 1 hour if time permits, the flavour will infuse the flesh. If not, proceed to the next step (the paste has a lot of flavour so it will compensate for not marinating).

2. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Prepare tray – Put the salmon on the tray with a bit of space between each one. Arrange the vegetables around it. Spray the salmon with oil.

4. Oven grill / broil for 11 minutes or until the salmon is cooked. The flesh should flake, and if you’re being accurate (which I like to be), the internal temperature should be 50°C/122°F for optimum juiciness.* Also by this time the asparagus will be cooked and the tomatoes will be wrinkled and some will have appealing charred spots.

   To serve – Transfer the salmon and vegetables onto plates. Grate parmesan over the vegetables, squeeze lemon over everything, sprinkle with parmesan if using then dig in!

* 50°C/122°F pull temp out of the oven is optimum juiciness for salmon, the default to which chefs and restaurants cook to. It will rise to 53°C/127.4°F after resting for 3 minutes which is medium rare. For medium, pull at 60°C/140°F, it will rise to 63°C/145.4°F after resting. A little more done and slightly less juicy

There you go! Nice and simple. Tasty. Healthy. No greasy stove splatter to deal with. (Let’s ignore the periodical oven clean we all like to pretend doesn’t need to happen).

I usually just toast bread and add that to the plate for the starch quota, to fill out the meal and smear with the charred burst tomatoes. Though if I’m trying to “be healthy” I increase the volume of vegetables on the tray, skip the carbs, then do my very very best not to stick my hand in the cookie jar later that evening…. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Lemon garlic salmon tray bake – easy & healthy!

Recipe video above. A tasty salmon tray bake recipe that's as simple as it is healthy. Salmon infused with an assertive lemon garlic marinade cooks in just 11 minutes alongside parmesan asparagus and blistered cherry tomatoes. No stove splatter – yay!

Green beans would also work great, or thin broccolini stems (and the florets go crunchy!). Shower with parmesan and squeeze of lemon for an easy finishing touch.

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword baked salmon, broiled salmon, easy salmon recipe, sheet pan recipe, tray bake recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes minutes

Optional marinading time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Calories 364cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 4 x 180g/6 oz salmon fillets , skin on or off, doesn't matter (Note 1)

Marinade slather:

• 1 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard (Note 2)
• 2 garlic cloves , grated using microplane (Note 3)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Vegetables (optional):

• 3 bunches asparagus , woody ends snapped or trimmed off (Note 4)
• 200g/ 7 oz cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, 1 Aussie punnet)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Cooking & serving:

• Olive oil spray
• Parmesan , finely grated
• Lemon wedges or slices , optional
• Parsley , finely chopped, optional
• Crusty bread or toast , for serving

Instructions

• Lemon garlic paste – Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Slather onto the top and sides of the salmon. If time permits, marinade for 1 hour. Otherwise, proceed with recipe.
• Preheat oven grill / broiler to 280°C/525°F or as high as yours goes. Place the oven shelf 20 cm /8" from the heat source.
• Prepare tray – Toss the asparagus and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a large tray then clear space for the salmon. Place salmon on the tray leaving a bit of space between each. Spray surface of salmon with oil.
• Cook – Grill/broil for 11 minutes or until the salmon is done – the flesh should flake, the internal temperature should be 50°C/122°F (Note 5).
• Serve – Transfer salmon and vegetables to plate. Grate parmesan over the vegetables. Squeeze lemon juice over the salmon, sprinkle with parsley. Eat!

Notes

1. Salmon – the skin won’t go crisp so if this bothers you, just eat the flesh off the skin. Recipe also works perfect with trout, direct sub.

2. Dijon – This thickens the rub into a paste that sticks to the salmon.

3. Garlic – Grating finely makes it mix into the paste better than finely chopping so you don’t get little burnt lumps.

4. Asparagus – Ends will naturally break at the point where the woody end is. Try it, it totally works! (But not with limp old ones)

5. Internal cooked temperature for salmon:

• Medium rare – pull out at 50°C/122°F which will rise to 53°C/127.4°F after resting which is medium rare. This is the optimum point of juiciness and level of doneness chefs/restaurants will cook to by default.
• Medium – pull at 60°C/140°F, will rise to 63°C/145.4°F after resting. A little more done and slightly less juicy.

6. Freezing tip – Slather salmon then freeze in a container with space around each piece, or freeze unwrapped until the surface is hard, then wrap. Then reverse for thaw – unwrap and thaw uncovered. That way you won’t lose any precious paste off the salmon skin. No need to marinate before freezing – that will happen as the salmon thaws.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Nutrition per serving for the salmon and vegetables. 

Nutrition

Calories: 364cal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

More salmon recipes

Asian Glazed Salmon

Honey Garlic Salmon

Garlic Butter Salmon recipe

Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce

Brown Sugar Broiled Salmon

Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon

Marinated Grilled Salmon

Sesame Crusted Salmon

Salmon Salad with Asian Ginger Sesame Dressing

Salmon

Life of Dozer

Giant bone. Dozer likes our new butcher.

The post Lemon garlic salmon tray bake – easy & healthy! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Here’s what we put on our seafood platter, a staple on Christmas Day for the RecipeTin Family! Our top tips for what to get, where best to spend your money and where not to, and our favourite seafood sauces. Plus, a video at the Sydney Fish Markets – watch me choose the seafood!

A lifetime of eating seafood!

In today’s recipe, I’m sharing all the items we put on our seafood platter – a staple on Christmas Day. We love the ease (mostly no-cook, just assembling) and because it’s a treat reserved for special occasions. Australian seafood is incredible, but good quality seafood is not cheap!

This is why we are pretty meticulous with research and taste-testing our seafood – we even write nerdy notes to ourselves as reminders, to refine our purchases for the next shop. Because there’s nothing more disappointing than spending hard-earned money on expensive crab only to find it tastes completely bland.

So this post today is essentially our shopping list of what we include on our seafood platter. Learn from all the tips we have picked up over a lifetime of seafood eating, and watch me buy the seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets to put the seafood platter together in today’s video!

SUMMARY – What we put on our seafood platter

Here is a summary list of what goes on our seafood platter. Please see below sections on the why, why not, and extra tips. Note: I’m in Sydney, Australia.

1. pre-cooked seafood, served cold

This is the seafood we get that we purchased pre-cooked, or seafood that is served raw. Everything we get is Australian – we specifically ensure it is because we know it will be better.

1. Prawns (pre-cooked) – Tiger, king or banana prawns.

2. Oysters – Pacific or Sydney Rock (Tasmanian and Merimbula oysters are my favourites)

3. Morton Bay Bugs (over Balmain Bugs) – Pre-cooked.

4. Blue swimmer crabs (best over 350g) – Pre-cooked. Alternatively: Spanner crabs, but read crab section below (including king crab & mud crab advice).

5. Sashimi – Kingfish, tuna, salmon are most common

6. Smoked salmon – Sold in packets, I only get Huon (Tasmanian).

7. Dipping sauces – Our Family Favourite Seafood Sauce, and Tartare or Marie Rose sauce (recipes here)

TIPS: Seafood quality is better at fish mongers and the fish markets, one reason being they look after it better than large chain grocery stores. For all the above, we only get Australian, and seafood that’s undergone as little freezing as possible. The freshest seafood has never been frozen: caught and sold ideally on the same day. However the reality is some seafood has to be snap frozen at sea before reaching market and is sold thawed. This includes even cooked prawns at the fish markets during Christmas time. Done properly, excellent seafood quality is still maintained.

But the point is, the less freezing-thawing cycles, the better. The worst is: Caught > frozen > thawed > cooked > frozen > thawed (like cheap lobster at grocery stores likely is). Quality degrades with each step!

2. luxury seafoods – ONLY BUY if you can afford quality

Here are the top-ticket seafood platter signatures that we strongly recommend only buying if you can afford good quality. And by no means will your platter be any less delicious without them! These are not regulars on our seafood platter.

1. Lobster (crayfish) – Not worth it unless you can afford $100+/kg for high quality lobster. The cheap grocery store lobsters are rubbish (sorry, but they are). Lobster serving recipes here.

2. King crab (~$90/kg) – Everybody loves the big meaty crab legs! While they are sold pre-cooked for convenience, we find the pre-cooked product very hit and miss. King crab is imported which can also play a part in the variability of quality. So we stopped buying pre-cooked king crab after too many disappointments for such an expensive food. Want king crab? Best buy raw legs and cook it yourself.

3. Mud crab (~$90/kg) – Buy it live and cook it yourself (here’s how to prepare mud crab). You don’t see often see frozen or cooked mud crab. If buying cooked mud crab, check with the seller how fresh it is and when it was alive (we are suspicious by nature and assume it was half dead so they cooked it).

3. SEAFOOD WE COOK (SOMETIMES)

While our seafood platter is mostly comprised of cold pre-cooked seafood, if we do have cooked seafood, these are the dishes we most commonly include.

1. Baby octopus – Purchased in bags frozen or raw, marinated then BBQ’d until the legs are charred and crispy! Rare seafood item that freezes well.

2. Mussels – Cooked ahead and served at room temperature (it’s so great!). Mussels are a rare seafood item that vac packs well. Our favourite brand are Kinkawooka blue mussels (best quality, juiciest!) – look for the purple bag, sold even at regular grocery stores.

3. Salt and pepper squid – 3 years in the making, we finally cracked the perfect salt and pepper squid! Hand on heart, I have never had squid this crispy at any restaurant here in Australia (and I can never resist ordering it, just to compare…). The squid is tender and the batter is light-yet-crispy. It’s truly incredible!

4. STANDARD SIDES

Here are the standard sides we serve alongside a seafood platter:

• Good bread (I love using my Crusty Artisan Bread recipe) with good butter or good extra virgin olive oil – Always!

• Potato salad or macaroni salad – … sometimes

• A Show-Off Salad like this festive Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Cranberries or Pomegranate Salad (more Show-Off Salads here)

And honestly, that’s all we do. We keep it simple to let the seafood shine! Also, because Christmas should be about be relaxing not slaving in the kitchen, is our motto. 🙂

5. GOING THE EXTRA MILE

If we’re feeling particularly inspired or have VIP guests, we will go the extra mile and add “special” extra dishes. Things we reach for include:

• Christmas Baked Salmon – A big statement side of salmon that’s made for Christmas festivities!

• Crispy Beer Battered Fish – and I exaggerate not when I say they are crispy and stay crispy!

• Crispy Homemade Fries – they’re crispy even long after they cool

• Store bought potato gems (tater tots) – I’m not even going to pretend we attempt to make these. We buy frozen, we love ’em, and I’m not ashamed to tell the world! For special occasions, we even deep fry them instead of baking (OMG I know, you’re horrified).

• Chinese Honey Prawns – OMG YES!!! Crunchier than you’ve ever had at any Chinese restaurant, these will blow your mind!

• Singapore Chilli Crab – A big, giant, statement main.

• Whole Baked Fish – The dill butter sauce is everything….

• Any other seafood or fish recipe – here’s the full collection.

Perfect Crispy French fries

Christmas Baked Salmon: Easy & Make-ahead

Crispy Beer Battered Fish

Singapore Chilli Crab

Whole Baked Fish – Snapper with Garlic & Dill Butter Sauce

Honey Prawns – stays crispy!

Fish recipes

5. seafood sauces

With the above fresh seafood, we simply serve with fresh lemon wedges and two sauces (recipes here):

1. Family Favourite Seafood Sauce – A family staple. Everybody who’s tried this sauce loves it! It’s essentially a mash up of Marie Rose Sauce and Tartare sauce with the added freshness from dill. It’s a bit special, and always a hit. 🙂

2. Marie Rose / Thousand Island – The classic pink sauce.

3. Cocktail Seafood Sauce – A piquant red sauce that goes heavier on the tomato sauce (ketchup).

4. Tartare Sauce – It’s amazing how much better homemade tastes, even using jar mayo. Yet so simple!

5. Thai Chilli Lime Sauce – Tangy with lime and hit of sweet chilli, for a lovely no-mayo fresh sauce alternative.

Our standard choice is the Family Favourite Seafood Sauce plus either Marie Rose or Tartare.

Find all the Seafood Dipping Sauces here.

More about each seafood item

I warned you I have a lot to say about seafood!! 😂 So in this section, I’m delving into more details about each.

Prawns

Prawns are a dependable favourite in Australia, and we are blessed with an abundance of excellent quality prawns! The 3 most common varieties are:

1. Tiger prawns – More salty and savoury.

2. King prawns – More of a sweet flavour. (You’d expect them to be larger, but they aren’t always!).

3. Banana prawns – Sweet, mild flavour, and often more economical

We love them all, and will happily eat any of them.

TIPS

• We buy them pre-cooked – Most Australian prawns are cooked soon after being caught, which locks in freshness and flavour. As long as they are fresh, the quality is excellent. You could also buy them raw and boil yourself.

• Be sure to get Australian prawns because the flavour is superior, the flesh is sweeter, and to support the Australian fishing industry! While most tiger and king prawns are locally sourced, imported banana prawns are more common. Just take note of the display label.

• Avoid pre-packaged prawns. They can be less fresh and stinky, beware! If that’s all you can get, take them out well before serving, give them a good rinse then leave to air dry.

• TOP TIP: Ask for a taste test before you buy!

Moreton Bay bugs – the better value lobster

This is one of our gold nugget tips! 🥰

We prefer to eat Moreton Bay bugs instead of lobster. They taste similar to lobster yet are about 70% cheaper at ~$40/kg. In fact, Moreton Bay bugs (and Balmain bugs) are a slipper lobster and are closely related to rock lobsters, so the flavour similarity is not surprising!

Moreton Bay bugs also have a higher meat-to-shell ratio (30-40% yield) than lobster and are easier to cut. They are more compact in shape, so easier to store too. They are caught on the northern part of Australia’s coast, mostly off the coast of Queensland.

We buy them pre-cooked (orange-coloured) which is the most common way they are sold, though you can get them raw (aka “green”, on the right below) and cook yourself (just boil them).

Balmain bugs vs Moreton Bay bugs – Balmain Bugs are the other species of slipper lobsters sold in Australia. We usually buy Moreton Bay over Balmain bugs, as we prefer the milder flavour, find the quality usually more reliable, and they’re also generally larger. Also, just FYI, despite the name, Balmain bugs aren’t actually caught in the Balmain area of Sydney! They are caught across the southern coastline of Australia, though mainly in NSW. But if you can’t find Moreton Bay bugs, Balmain bugs is a solid alternative.

Oysters

Here in Australia, we have two varieties of oysters: Pacific oysters and Sydney Rock oysters. Pacific oysters tend to be larger, with a fleshy, creamy texture. The flavour is clean and mild. Sydney Rock Oysters tend to be smaller, sometimes with yellow-tinged flesh and have a meatier mouthfeel. The flavour is stronger and more complex than Pacific oysters.

I love both of them!

Both these oysters are grown in various areas across Australia, and the region in which they are grown affects quality and flavour. I am particularly fond of Tasmanian-grown oysters (clean flavour without a bitter finish, and some are gigantic!). Merimbula is a Sydney fine-dining favourite source as are Port Stephens and Batemans Bay. Boomer Bay is a recent one I tried that I enjoyed as well.

Buy them already shucked (ie. opened) and serve with lemon wedges, that’s all you need. Though, if you’d like to try a sauce, 3 of our favourites are coming before Christmas!

Crab

I have a bizarre amount of information to share about crab! Possibly because I love crab but it’s expensive – and it’s a pain to pick out the meat especially if you buy certain types. 😂

So here’s my thoughts on crab:

• Blue swimmer crab (~$35/kg) – This Australian favourite is our preference for value, flavour and quality as long as they are on the large size (350g/ 12 oz+). Anything smaller and the ratio of meat-to-shell is too low, and it’s a pain to pick the meat out of tiny legs. Buy it cooked, or buy raw and cook yourself (just boil).

• Spanner crab (~$35/kg) is also good value but the crab’s anatomy is very different to blue swimmer crabs. The meat is mostly in the body, which is proportionally large while the claws are small and flat. The crab flesh is deliciously sweet. However it is quite fine and more crumbly than other crabs. Buy it cooked. You don’t often see it raw.

• King crab – People love king crab because of the extremely meaty legs and claws, and the firm, sweet flesh. But it’s expensive! We recommend giving frozen cooked king crab a miss. Over the years, we’ve found it hit and miss, as it’s sometimes disappointingly flavourless – such a waste of money 😭. If you want king crab, buy the uncooked legs and cook yourself. Note that king crab is mostly imported and as a general rule, this can affect reliability of quality. Excess freezing really seems to degrade the quality of crab.

• Mud crab – The king of all Aussie crabs! We love it (especially Singapore Chilli Crab), but as it is sold live it is quite expensive and you have to cook it yourself. You rarely see it frozen or pre-cooked. When we do, we are suspicious as it’s hard to know how fresh the crab was prior to cooking.

Cutting crab for serving – directions in the recipe card! There’s even a video. 🙂

Sashimi (raw fish)

Yes, we do! Totally at home on a seafood platter 🙂

There’s no need to get loads, just a little bit, for extra variety in the platter amongst all that shellfish. We just go to the sashimi bar at the Sydney Fish Markets and get what looks good or what we feel like. Kingfish, tuna and salmon are favourites, but we love to mix it up if there are other interesting fish varieties on offer.

Smoked salmon

A nice easy one to include on the seafood platter. Everybody loves it, and again, it adds to variety and abundance!

The only smoked salmon I get is Huon Salmon. I know there’s a lot of debate about the sustainability of salmon farming here in Australia. However based on my research (and also a visit to their farms in Tasmania), I believe Huon’s farming practices to be more sustainable than the other major brand here in Australia and imported economical brands, and kinder to local wildlife.

Cooked mussels

A recent addition to our cold seafood platter: cooked mussels served at room temperature. It’s so good! They present nicely if you dice up the vegetables really small so you can scatter them on the mussels for presentation purposes. Serve them in the half shell, spooning some mussel cooking liquor sauce into the shells to keep them moist and add some lovely extra flavour.

The mussels pictured above were cooked using this cookbook recipe but this recipe will also work (similar). Just remember to dice up the vegetables extra small for an elegant look, like pictured above.

Our favourite brand of mussels is Kinkawooka which are available at grocery stores as well as fish mongers. Compared to other brands, the mussels are considerably heavier which means they are meatier and juicier.

Lobster (actually, crayfish)

So, here’s the thing with lobster. It is not a regular on our seafood platters. As noted above, we usually get Moreton Bay bugs instead because it’s so similar but far better value and logistically easier to cut, store etc.

However, I do have knowledge to impart about lobster because I have a friend who catches local lobsters and shares them with me. Also, there was that time during the pandemic when our lobster export industry came to a standstill due to trade tensions with China, so there was an abundance of lobsters usually sold upwards of $100 at fish mongers going for $20 at regular grocery stores.

So I’ve actually developed a fair amount of experience cooking with lobster without shelling out an extortionate amount to buy them!

Buying lobster

If you want lobster on your seafood platter, just to reiterate what I’ve said multiple times earlier, be prepared to pay top dollar for it – $100/kg+. There is honestly no point buying the cheap ones (~$10 tails) at grocery stores, they taste like nothing! You are better off using that budget for more prawns.

Choose Australian lobster – cooked is great (it’s boiled freshly caught at sea). Then head over to my lobster recipes to choose one! There are 6 lobster recipes, all of which are suited for inclusion in a seafood platter, along with how to cut and prepare lobster.

PS It’s crayfish, not lobster

And just for a bit of food trivia: What most people call “lobster” here in Australia technically are not lobsters, they are crayfish. They are almost the same in appearance, but they don’t have the giant pincers that lobsters have in the US and Europe. We don’t have true lobsters here in Australia. 😊

Why we buy pre-cooked seafood

Our seafood platter is predominantly cold seafood that we purchased already cooked. The reason for this is simple – the quality of pre-cooked seafood here in Australia is excellent (if you know what to buy) and it’s convenient.

If you’re thinking – surely raw seafood I cook myself is going to be better – it can be true, but it’s often pricier and extra work to prepare!

Actually, pre-cooked seafood can be some of the best tasting seafood you buy because it’s boiled at sea as soon as it is caught, locking in fresh flavour when it is at its prime. Prawns are a great example of this, with most prawns sold at fish mongers here in Australia sold pre-cooked.

Pre-cooking also deals with the logistical challenge associated with how highly perishable seafood is because it extends the shelf life, as well as making the seafood more affordable for consumers.

Where I buy seafood

For special occasions, I go to the Sydney Fish Markets where you get better selection and more consistently higher quality. But on a day to day basis, I just go to my local fish monger.

I generally do not buy seafood from the grocery store, just because I find the quality is not that great and is not always handled with the care it should be.

I do think though that here in Australia, we are very lucky to have an abundance of good quality seafood, so even seafood from grocery stores is actually not that bad. I’m just a bit fussy – I’d rather indulge in seafood less often and spend a little more to get good quality seafood when I do. That’s just the way I roll. 🙂

How we put together the seafood platter

And with all that information and opinions shared, we finally arrive at the serving and eating part!

For the RecipeTin Family, one of the things that appeals to us about a seafood platter is that it’s essentially no-cook, and it’s a cold main which is ideal for hot summer Aussie Christmases. So you literally pull it out of the fridge, pile it up onto platters then serve!

OK, OK. I can give a little more guidance here, in case you’re interested. Here we go:

1. Ice bed – If we have ice, we will spread that onto a big serving platter, tray or multiple plates. This not only keeps the seafood cold, but also provides a nice non-slip bed to put the seafood on.

2. Assembling – Pile the seafood on the ice, randomly scatter lemon wedges around then nestle in bowls of sauces. A few sprigs of parsley might also make it onto the platter – but that’s really going above and beyond. 😂

Laying out the seafood

There’s no rules for the way I lay out the seafood, except logistical considerations:

• Oysters laid out mostly in a single layer or carefully shingled to avoid the oyster juices from spilling

• Mussels laid out the same as oysters so the sauce stays in without spilling

• Prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and crab – piled high (reserve the crab carapace (top shell) for decoration)

• Sashimi – fanned out

• Smoked salmon – randomly draped around

Matters of serving (tip: finger bowls!)

To serve, we put the platters out along with plenty of napkins, bowls for discarded shells and finger bowls of water with lemon slices for people to dip their hands in for a brief clean before diving back in for more seafood.

How else can I help you?

And with that, I think I am done! Or – am I? Are there any critical things I’ve missed? Is there other seafood you’d like to know about? Such as, let’s say, abalone. A highly prized delicacy here in Australia – why doesn’t it make our cut, you may be wondering??

This and any other questions you have, please leave them below and we will do our best to address them and update this post with extra information. I can’t promise I will continue to do this beyond Christmas 2023, but I can promise that we will monitor questions and update this post leading up to Christmas Day. Because the whole purpose of doing today’s post is to help readers who want to put together an amazing seafood platter!

I hope you find this useful and enjoy the little video of my shopping trip to the Sydney Fish Markets to choose and purchase seafood for the seafood platter featured in this post. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Video of me choosing seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets and putting a seafood platter together:

Also, a little tutorial on how to cut and prepare Moreton Bay Bugs and Balmain Bugs for your seafood platter:

Print

Seafood Platter

Video above! This is what we put on our seafood platter. Our preference is to buy most seafood pre-cooked (boiled at sea) and serve it cold. See the post above for why we choose these items – it's all about best quality and best value for money! Varieties of seafood specified are for Australia.

Top tips: Buy Australian (or locally caught, wherever you are in this world) and where possible buy fresh rather than thawed/frozen (most seafood loses quality when frozen). Don't buy cheap lobster, it's a total waste of money. Get Moreton Bay bugs instead (it's so similar, but cheaper) or more prawns instead. Avoid buying pre-packaged if you can, it's fresher from open displays!

Course Main

Cuisine Australian, Western

Keyword seafood platter

Servings 8

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2 kg / 3 lb whole prawns , pre-cooked, shell on (Tiger, King or Banana prawns)
• 24 oysters – Sydney Rock or Pacific , love both (Tasmanian, Merimbula and Port Stephens are favourites)
• 4 blue swimmer crabs (400g/14oz+) (not smaller), pre-cooked in shell, whole
• 8 Moreton Bay bugs , pre-cooked in shell, whole (fallback – Balmain Bugs)
• 200g / 7 oz smoked salmon (Huon is the only Australian one I get)
• 250g / 8 oz sashimi , pre-sliced (tuna, kingfish or salmon)
• 1 kg / 2 lb mussels – cooked, served at room temp (Note 5)

Seafood Sauces (choose 2) – all recipes here:

• Cocktail Seafood Sauce
• Tartare Sauce
• Marie Rose / Thousand Island (top pick)
• Thai Chilli Lime Sauce
• RecipeTin Family Favourite Seafood Sauce (top pick)

Other sauces:

• Sauces for oysters (selection coming next week)
• Soy sauce and wasabi , for sashimi

Serving:

• Ice , optional (crushed if you can, else normal)
• Lemon wedges (lots!)
• Parsley sprigs (for decorating, if you're feeling fancy)
• Bowls , to discard shells
• Finger bowls , filled with water and lemon slices
• Napkins (lots!)

Our standard side dishes

• Good bread with good butter or good extra virgin olive oil (Try this easy Crusty Artisan Bread)
• Perky green salad or vegetable sticks (crudites), see in post for suggestions
• Lots of cold beer, wine and champagne!

Extra dishes pictured in post and the video

• Marinated crispy baby octoptus
• The crispiest salt and pepper squid (recipe coming soon!)
• Cheese and crackers (because I just have to!)
• More extras – see notes

Instructions

• Purchase all seafood as close as possible to the serving date. We often do the 5AM shop at the Sydney Fish Markets on Christmas Eve, because we are slightly crazy! We don't order online (we like to choose our own).
• Storage – Cooked seafood will easily keep 2 days, fresh raw for cooking will too if you take it out of the plastic bags, put in a colander or similar and very loosely cover with cling wrap (breathing = less stinky).
• Crab – To cut the crab, follow directions in How to Cut a Whole Crab except DO NOT cut off the claws if you are using a Blue Swimmer Crab. (See note)
• Moreton Bay bug – To cut the bug, flip it on to its back. Cut down through the middle (the shell is not too hard). Clean out the yellow and brown matter in the head, then it's ready to serve. Recipe video above.
• Sauce – Make your sauces of choice. They will be used for dipping prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and crab (I also use for vegetable sticks and bread!). Refrigerate until required (2 days+).
• Mussels – Make mussels, if using. Great served at room temperature on a cold seafood platter.

Assembling:

• Ice (optional) – Cover a large platter with ice. This keeps the seafood cold as well as providing a non-slip bed.
• Pile the prawns, crab and bugs on to the platter. Drape smoked salmon randomly around. Fan out the sushi.
• Oysters – Place them level to avoid the juices in the shells spilling out (what a waste!).
• Mussels – Break off one shell, and serve in the remaining shell. Then place the mussels in a single layer, or shingled (stacked but level). Spoon on a little of the diced vegetables and some reserved mussel cooking liquor.
• Sauce and lemon – Nestle bowls filled with sauces amongst the seafood and scatter over lemon wedges. Serve alongside finger bowls for cleaning and bowls to discard shells, and lots of napkins. Fill glasses with wine, cheers to Christmas! Now dive in!

Notes

Extra suggestions to add on the side: Christmas Baked Salmon, Crispy Beer Battered Fish, Homemade Fries, frozen store bought potato gems (tater tots), Chinese Honey Prawns, Singapore Chilli Crab, Whole Baked Fish any other seafood or fish recipe – here’s the full collection.

---

See in post for more tips and thoughts on each item listed. Summary points below!

1. Prawns – Tiger, king and banana prawns in Australia are all great, though if I had to pick one I’d choose tiger prawns (I love the salty slightly more intense flavour). Watch out for imported – Australian prawns are superior in flavour.
2. Oyster – Both Sydney Rock (smaller, stronger flavour) and Pacific (fleshier, cleaner flavour) oysters are great. These are the two varieties here in Australia. The quality and flavour comes down to where and how they are grown.
3. Moreton Bay bugs – The “better value lobster”!. At ~$40/kg, they’re easier to cut, to eat and have a higher meat-to-shell ratio. There’s really no point getting cheap lobster, tastes of nothing. If you get lobster, you need to spend $100/kg+. Don’t bother with cheap lobster!
4. Crab – Blue swimmer crabs for the best for flavour (in our view) and value, but don’t get small ones <350g/12oz, it’s a pain to get the meat out. Spanner crab is also great but all the meat is in the shell (cut per same directions). Mud crab and king crab – please read in post for our view on these (buy raw, make sure it’s Australian, and cook yourself), they are expensive so get it right!
5. Mussels – cooked using this cookbook recipe or this recipe,  but dice the vegetables very small (to use as garnish on mussels). Cool to room temperature then serve on platter.

Life of Dozer

One of my favourite photos of Dozer in the cookbook. Buried smack bang in the middle of the book, it must be quite a shock for people who don’t know me to be flicking through tasty food photos then suddenly come across this!! 😂 (Page 174, Restaurant Worthy Prawn Linguine).

The post What we put on our seafood platter appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a fish pasta in a richly flavoured fish ragu pasta sauce. It’s a great recipe to stretch fish further and cook it in a unique way that’s outrageously delicious with big, bold Italian Calabrian spices!

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

I feel like the name of today’s recipe requires explanation.

I’m calling this a ragu because it’s stewy and braisy and has beautiful depth of flavour even though it hasn’t been slow cooked for hours like my Shredded Beef Ragu. Because, NEWSFLASH, it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours to be called a ragu!

As for the Calabrian part of the name? It’s because the seasoning is inspired by the flavours of Calabria: chillies and particularly nduja, the intensely-flavoured salami paste from the region that’s rising in popularity in the foodie world. Stuffed in focaccias, dolloped on pizzas, mixed into pasta sauces, this fiery spread has big, bold flavours and a little bit goes a long way.

So, as you might have guessed, this is a fish pasta that is big on flavour. I love that it tastes exotic and restaurant-y but it’s economical and easy!

Ingredients in this Fish Ragu Pasta

Here’s what you need to make this.

1. The fish

Key to this pasta is the spice mix for the fish. As mentioned earlier, the flavours in this fish pasta are based on the seasoning on nduja which is a type of salami. So, think – fennel and paprika with a hit of spiciness. Bold is the word that comes to mind!

Best fish for this pasta

Any firm white fish fillets (skinless and boneless) can be used in this recipe. Here are some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki, monkfish (pricey here, so I reserve for other uses like this recipe). If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

• Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.

• Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.

• Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

The Calabrian spices

• Whole fennel and black peppercorns – These are toasted then ground, for maximum flavour impact. I would not ask you to make the effort to toast and grind if I really didn’t believe it was worth it. It is! However, I have substitutions in the recipe notes for ground fennel and pepper, if that’s all you have.

• More spices – Nutmeg, paprika, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). Feel free to dial back the chilli if you’re concerned about spicineess.

2. In the pasta and the sauce

• Pasta – Any long strand thinnish pasta is ideal here. I use fettuccine.

• Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. It costs around the same as canned tomato.

  Passata is excellent for making thick, smooth sauces and soups without a long simmer time like required to break down crushed tomato. A regular in my recipes! More on tomato passata here.

• Tomato paste – A boost of tomatoey flavour and to help thicken the sauce.

• Garlic – Because, garlic. Rarely do savoury recipes happen around here without garlic!

• Parsley and parmesan – garnishes. I know parmesan isn’t strictly traditional in Italian fish and seafood pastas. But, it works. We’re not after loads of parmesan cheesiness. It just adds saltiness.

3. pangrattato

Pangrattato is an Italian chunky breadcrumb topping that adds an addictive crunch and flavor to pasta dishes and salads. I particularly like it with this fish ragu as it adds great texture and is a terrific contrast to the soft fish.

• Bread – Use a denser bread like sourdough, ciabatta etc which have structure and go really crunchy when toasted. Lightweight sandwich bread is a little too delicate and kind of just dissolves into powder, bypassing the crunch completely. 🙂 BUT – if sandwich bread is all you have, I’d still go ahead! Or, substitute with panko breadcrumbs.

• Oil and salt – To make it crunchy and salty.

How to make fish ragu

As mentioned earlier, this is a ragu but it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours! In fact, if you can multi-task, you’ll get this on the table in just over 20 minutes. 🙂

1. pangrattato first

Get the pangrattato in the oven first. Toss the bread in olive oil and salt, then bake in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes until crisp all the way through.

2. CALABRIAN SPICED FISH NEXT

Next up, toast the spices and coat the fish in the tasty flavours.

1. Toast the fennel and black peppercorns for a couple of minutes until it smells fragrant and you can see the fennel is lightly browned. Use a large deep skillet or pot, something large enough to toss the pasta with the sauce later. No oil required at this stage.

2. Grind the spices using a mortar and pestle, or a grinder.

3. Coat the fish with the ground fennel and peppercorns, nutmeg, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, olive oil plus the tomato paste.

4. Once coated, set aside while you prep the other ingredients. No need to marinate.

3. MAKING THE PASTA

The pasta sauce takes around the same time to cook as the pasta so you can make both at the same time.

1. Boil pasta for the time per the packet directions minus 1 minute. It should be al dente – cooked through but still a slight firm but. It will soften more as it cooks through more when tossed with the pasta sauce.

   Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. We will need this for the pasta tossing at the end.

2. Cook fish – Sauté the garlic until golden, then add the fish (scrape out every bit of the paste!) and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. The fish ragu sauce – This is what it looks like before the tossing process starts. Notice how the fish pieces are still whole at this stage. Some of the pieces will flake and break when we toss with the pasta, some will stay mostly whole. I find that texture the most appealing for me.

   What we don’t want is for all the fish to disintegrate. It’s so much nicer to have fish chunks so you know you’re eating fish rather than unidentifiable mush!

5. Add reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for a further 2 minutes. The pasta cooking water has starch in it which makes the sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta strand. You will see in the next step!

6. Toss with pasta – Then add the pasta and most of the parlsey. Toss, still on the stove, for 1 minute or until the pasta strands are stained red and all the fish ragu is clinging to the pasta strands rather than pooled in the pan.

   If the pasta gets too thick (excessively enthusiastic tossing, heat too high are typical causes), just add a splash of extra pasta cooking water to thin it out and give it another good toss!

Now, it’s ready for serving. Twirl into bowls and cover liberally with a shower of the crunchy pangrattato and finish with parmesan!

Matters of serving fish ragu

As with any pasta, this fish ragu is best served and eaten piping hot and fresh, straight out of the pan while the pasta is sticky and slippery and saucy. As it sits around, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, drying it out so it’s thick and stodgy.

So, whenever you are making any pasta, be sure to have the hungry hoards at the table, ready to twirl and slurp the moment you bring the pasta bowls to the table, for maximum enjoyment!

Really hope you love this as much as I do. The fish ragu is divine as it is. But with that crunchy pangrattato? It’s sheer perfection. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Calabrian Fish Ragu

Recipe video above. This is a fish pasta in a richly spiced fish ragu pasta sauce. The spice mix is based on njuda, the bold flavoured spreadable Calabrian salami paste that's rising in popularity in the restaurant scene! It's a great way to make fish stretch further, cooked in a unique way that's outrageously delicious with big, bold Southern Italian flavours.

No stale bread? Use panko instead. See notes. 3 servings? I know it's a little odd, but the spice mix didn't scale down neatly to make pasta for 2! (3/8 tsp nutmeg?!). Leftovers are always delicious. 🙂

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian-esque

Keyword fish pasta, fish ragu

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 714cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Calabrian spiced fish:

• 250g/ 8 oz firm white fish fillets , skinless, boneless, cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ cubes (barramundi, snapper, cod – Note 1)
• 3/4 tsp black peppercorns (Note 2 for ground option)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (Note 2 for ground option)
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), feel free to reduce/omit
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/2 tsp caster / superfine sugar
• 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Pasta:

• 250g/8 oz linguine pasta (or fettuccine, spaghetti)
• 1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for pasta water
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 3/4 cup tomato passata (US: tomato puree, Note 3)

Garnish:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• Parmesan cheese , finely grated, for serving

Pangrattato

• 1 cup stale bread like sourdough, ciabatta , crusts removed, torn/chopped into irregular 1cm/0.4" pieces (Note 4)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch cooking / kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Toast & grind – Preheat a large deep skillet or pot over medium heat (Note 5), no oil. Toast black peppercorn and fennel for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it smells fragrant and the fennel is lightly browned. Transfer to a mortar and use a pestle and grind to a powder while still hot.
• Coat fish – Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining Calabrian spiced fish ingredients. Stir well with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
• Cook pasta – Boil 3 litres of water with the cooking salt. Cook pasta per packet directions minus 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Then drain in a colander and leave until ready to use.
• Calabrian fish ragu – While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in the same skillet you used to toast the fennel on medium high. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add tomato passata. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Toss pasta – Add pasta and 3/4 of the parsley. Toss for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Most of the fish will break up into flakes but some will remain in larger chunks – this is good! We don't want disintegrated mush, nor giant chunks. Once the pasta turns red and the sauce and fish bits are clinging to the pasta straws, remove from heat and divide between bowls immediately.
• Serve – Sprinkle with pasta, pangrattato and parmesan. Eat immediately!

Pangrattato:

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
• Toss bread, oil and salt in a small bowl. Spread on a tray and bake for 10 minutes, tossing at the 5 minute mark, or until light golden and fully crisp.

Notes

1. Firm white fish fillets – Works best with fairly firm white fish fillets that are not too thick. Some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki. If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

• Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
• Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
• Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

2. Grinding whole spices will give the best flavour in this recipe, it really makes a difference here. I only emphasise this when it matters, I will use pre-ground whenever I can! But you can use pre-ground if that’s all you’ve got. 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp fennel powder. No toasting, just mix in with other spices.

3. Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making thick, smooth sauces. More on tomato passata here.

4. Back up – use 1/2 cup panko instead, toast for shorter time. If the bread isn’t stale that’s fine too, it’ll take a little longer to go crunchy and is a little harder to cut into small pieces.

5. Cooking vessel needs to be large enough to toss the sauce with the pasta.

6. Recipe reference – inspired by this recipe torn out from the Delicious magazine during a flight. Though, my resulting recipe is very different. Much saucier (good thing), faster (also a good thing) with bolder flavours (that’s just how I roll!).

7. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Warm in microwave with a splash of water and toss well. Store pangrattato in the pantry.

Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 714cal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 3264mg | Potassium: 844mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1661IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 5mg

More things to make with fish!

Chilli Lime Fish

Fish Tacos

Sizzling Ginger Steamed Fish

Goan Fish Curry (Indian)

Fish Seasoning (great all-rounder)

Thai Fish Cakes

Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)

Fish Cakes

Fish Fingers recipe

Fish recipes

Life of Dozer

My house needed a major air-out over the weekend after a particularly intense week of spice-heavy cooking, so I left all the doors open all day to create a nice breezeway.

Dozer was put on front door guard duty. I felt totally safe.

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