Puttanesca fish tray bake – RecipeTin Eats

May 16, 2025

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Baked fish dinners may be so uninteresting. Not this one! Suppose – spaghetti puttanesca flavours within the type of a one pan fish dinner. It’s a Puttanesca fish tray bake! Good for you, simple to make, fabulously scrumptious.

No extra uninteresting baked fish dinners!

This can be a dinner impressed by pasta puttanesca – minus the spaghetti, a number of pots and range splatter. The sauce has all of the emblems – tomato, olives, capers, even anchovies (!) – however it’s baked on one tray with fish, potatoes to fill it out and fennel for a grown up contact.

It’s an entire meal, vibrant, good for you, vibrant, and something however boring. I throw this final line in as a result of I spent my twenties satisfied fish couldn’t be tasty except it had been seared or fried. This recipe would’ve modified my thoughts!

Components you want for this tray bake dinner

Right here’s what you’ll want to make this Puttanesca fish tray bake.

White fish fillets

I take advantage of barramundi on this recipe. The meaty and juicy flesh makes it excellent for the assertive Mediterranean flavour of the puttanesca-ish sauce, and the fillets are thick sufficient to make them appropriate for cooking within the oven.

However any agency, white fish fillets about 2.5 – 3 cm/1″ thick will work a deal with right here. See beneath for an inventory.

Appropriate fish for this recipe FAQ

for the Puttanesca SAUCE

Right here’s what you want for the puttanesca-ish half – a lot of the elements utilized in puttanesca plus potatoes to bulk it out and fennel for flavour and a contact of grown-up sweetness (it’s actually good, urge you to not skip it!).

Anchovies – Addressing this proper up entrance as a result of I do know it’s a divisive ingredient! However they actually do add savouriness, and it’s a key ingredient in Puttanesca. Consider it as the higher salt. However, should you’re very anti-anchovies, you may both scale back to 1 anchovy or substitute with 1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1/4 tsp further cooking salt / kosher salt.
Fennel – I’ve stated it earlier than and I’ll say it once more, it’s such an under-utilised vegetable! It has refined aniseed flavour which provides freshness and curiosity to dishes, it’s economical a lot of the 12 months spherical and straightforward to chop. It deserves far more love in on a regular basis cooking!
Child capers and kalamata olives – Beautiful briny pops that add tang and salt into the sauce because it bakes. I take advantage of child capers as a result of they’re smaller – if utilizing common capers, simply give them a tough chop. And I want kalamata over common black olives as they’re softer and have higher flavour.
Child potatoes – Or common potatoes, peeled, and minimize. Any sort of potato is okay right here.
Canned tomato – That is the first ingredient that creates the sauce for this dish.
Cherry or grape tomatoes – These add pops of juicy bursts within the sauce. They prepare dinner by way of sufficient so they’re gentle however are nonetheless holding collectively once they come out of the oven.
Garlic – In fact it’s in. 3 massive cloves!
Oregano – For background flavour with out competing with all the opposite flavours.
Chilli flakes – Additionally known as purple pepper flakes, the recipe requires 1/2 teaspoon which is barely sufficient for a light stage of spiciness. Be happy to omit – or add extra! It’s also possible to add your favorite chilli sauce when consuming, if you would like extra warmth.
Basil (elective!) – Sure, should you’ve obtained a basil bush in your yard, it’s a nice end for this dish. However don’t let the absence of basil maintain you again from making this! Wonderful substitutes – parsley (any type), chives (only a gentle sprinkle).

The right way to make Puttanesca fish tray bake dinner

I do know simplest tray bake dinners name for the whole lot to enter the oven directly, however this one is a 3-stage bake: potatoes first, then the puttanesca sauce, and at last the fish (we don’t wish to overcook it!). It really flows properly – you leisurely prep the subsequent element whereas the final one bakes, and have time to place your toes up with a glass of wine in between.

Potatoes first – Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Then pop within the oven to provide them a 20 minute head begin.
Puttanesca sauce (stew?) subsequent – Combine up the puttanesca sauce elements (the canned tomato, veg, dried oregano, olives, capers and anchovies). Then add it to the tray and bake for one more 10 minutes. Word: the combination doesn’t look very saucy however as soon as baked and mixed with the juices from the fish, you should have loads of sauce.

High with fish – Then put the fish on high, drizzle the whole lot with olive oil and bake for one more quarter-hour or till the fish flakes simply.
Serve – Sprinkle with basil (if utilizing) and the reserved fennel fronds. And that’s it – dinner’s up!

Issues of serving

I all the time really feel like thick semi-stewy type of dishes like this are crying out for crusty bread you can stuff, and use for dunking and mopping, or crispy crostini for scooping and piling. Although really, the potato on this dish fills it out so even with out bread, the portion servings are respectable. Let’s say with out bread it’s a wise serving measurement. With bread, it’s a beneficiant serving measurement.

You might additionally enhance the quantity of potato on this to fill it out extra and serve with out bread. Or serve it over one other starchy car of alternative – pasta, couscous (plain – no nuts, herbs, fruit or lemon), or rice (plain, or attempt garlic rice!).

So many prospects…..share your ideas! – Nagi x

Watch the right way to make it

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