Puttanesca fish tray bake

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.

Suitable fish for this recipe FAQ

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.

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

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.
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