Name: Fish Puttanesca Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups crushed tomatoes; ¾ cup Kalamata olives, (pitted, roughly chopped ); 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves, (washed, dried, roughly chopped ); ½ cup finely diced red onion; 3 tablespoons capers; ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes, (depending on the amount of heat you want); 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; ½ teaspoon salt; 1¼ pound Sole fillets (or other mild white fish like Cod, Tilapia or Bass); freshly ground black pepper

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Fish Puttanesca is a super healthy and delectable quick and easy dinner. Loaded with fresh flavors, you can use any mild white fish, and it’s ready in 30 minutes.

Fish Puttanesca is a quick and easy way to get an outstanding meal on the table with little effort. So it works well for busy weeknights — but, it’s definitely impressive enough for casual entertaining on the weekends.

Usually Italian Puttanesca sauce includes tomatoes, olive oil, anchovies, olives, capers and garlic. And traditionally it’s served with spaghetti — Spaghetti Puttanesca.

This Fish Puttanesca dish is not an authentic Italian dish — the sauce is made without anchovies and garlic. It’s scrumptious!

Ingredients for Fish Puttanesca

(Often I suggest brands I love and use — they’re only suggestions, this is not a sponsored post.)

Sole – I like Petrale Sole fillets for this recipe. The fillets are usually only about ½-thick so the cooking time is especially short.
crushed canned tomatoes – Try to choose the best quality canned tomatoes. This is one of my favorites, and here’s why.
Kalamata olives – For this recipe, it’s best to buy already pitted Kalamatas.
fresh basil – Bunches with smaller (baby) leaves are typically more tender.
red onion – Try to choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
extra virgin olive oil – I like this one.
capers – You will find capers in a variety of sizes. I prefer the smallest (non-pareil).
chili flakes
salt – I bake and cook with Kosher salt. (It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavor without making them taste salty.)
black pepper – Freshly ground is best.

How to Make it

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

– In a baking dish, mix the crushed tomatoes with the olives, basil, onion, capers, chili flakes, olive oil and salt. Remove about a third of the mixture and set it aside in a bowl.

– Sprinkle the fillets with black pepper and add them to the pan, on top of the fish puttanesca sauce.

Sole fillets covering puttanesca sauce in a baking pan.

– Spoon the remaining sauce you set aside over the fish.

Raw Fish Puttanesca in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, ready for the oven.

– Bake just until the fish is cooked through — likely no more than 15 minutes.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

The Sole works really well in Fish Puttanesca — it’s a mild, somewhat delicate white fish that’s flaky. You can substitute it with Cod, Tilapia, Mahi Mahi, Flounder or Sea Bass. All of these will have more or less the same cooking times, depending on their thickness.
If you don’t want to turn the oven on, you can follow the same instructions in a very large skillet — for the cooking time, cover the skillet and keep the heat at low-medium.
As I mentioned above, use the best quality canned tomatoes you can — for any dish, starting with the most delicious ingredients will always give you the best results.

Serving Suggestions

Be sure to serve Fish Puttanesca with something to soak up the excess sauce. Crusty bread, rice, pasta or potatoes will all do this beautifully. And you can always throw in a tasty light salad for good measure. 😉
You can make any of these suggestions during the time the fish is baking.

Can you make it ahead?

The Fish Puttanesca sauce can be mixed up to two days ahead of time.
Don’t add the fish and bake until you’re about twenty minutes away from serving, as it’s best right out of the oven.
Keep the sauce wrapped tightly in the refrigerator, and bring it to room temperature before baking the fish.

Enjoy every last bite!

More quick and easy fish dinners:

Fish Puttanesca Recipe

Valentina K. Wein

Fish Puttanesca is a super healthy and delectable quick and easy dinner. It's packed with fresh flavors, and it's ready — from start to finish — in 30 minutes.

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 341 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups crushed tomatoes
¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted, roughly chopped
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves, washed, dried, roughly chopped
½ cup finely diced red onion
3 tablespoons capers
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes, depending on the amount of heat you want
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ pound Sole fillets (or other mild white fish like Cod, Tilapia or Bass)
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Set the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center.
Make sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes to a 9 x 13 x 2 - inch baking dish. Add the olives, basil, onion, capers, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Mix to blend all of the ingredients and remove about ⅓ of the mixture and set it aside in a bowl.
Add fish and bake. Lightly sprinkle the fillets with black pepper and then add them to the baking dish. Spoon the sauce you set aside over the tops of the fillets. Place in the preheated 375°F oven and bake just until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Serve. Serve the fish over the pasta, rice, potatoes, or alongside a crusty bread.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.

Keywords fish for dinner party, great for a quick dinner

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