Puttanesca Fish Tray Bake

4.89 from 18 votes

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Western

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

Servings:

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 / 9x13" 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