Description
This Puttanesca Fish Tray Bake is a delicious, one-pan Mediterranean-inspired dish featuring tender barramundi fillets baked on a bed of flavorful puttanesca sauce with roasted baby potatoes. It’s an easy, wholesome meal perfect for family dinners or entertaining, combining salty kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, and fresh herbs for a vibrant, savory taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted potatoes:
- 600g (1.2 lb) baby potatoes, smaller ones up to 3.5cm (1.5″) halved, larger ones quartered
- 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 bulb, fronds reserved for garnish, halved, cut into 0.5cm (0.2″) half moon shapes
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) cherry or grape tomatoes (1 punnet)
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 tbsp baby capers (or regular, roughly chopped)
- 3 anchovy fillets, finely minced (can reduce to 1)
- 400g (14oz) canned tomato, crushed or diced
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), mild spiciness (can reduce or omit)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Fish:
- 4 x 160–180g (6oz) barramundi fillets, skinless, or other firm fish fillets about 2.5–3cm (1″) thick
Finishing / serving:
- 1 loosely packed cup basil leaves, roughly chopped (or substitute with 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley)
- Warm crusty bread, for mopping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 220°C (390°F), or 200°C (390°F) fan-forced, preparing it for roasting the potatoes and baking the fish.
- Roast Potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the baby potatoes with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Spread them evenly on a baking tray with sides at least 2cm high, or a 23x33cm (9×13″) pan. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until starting to soften and lightly golden.
- Prepare and Add Puttanesca Sauce: While the potatoes roast, mix the fennel, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, garlic, capers, anchovies, canned tomatoes, chili flakes, dried oregano, and salt directly in the same potato bowl. Toss this sauce mixture with the partially roasted potatoes on the tray and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Season Fish: Pat the barramundi fillets dry with paper towels, then season both sides with salt and pepper to enhance their flavor.
- Bake Fish: Place the seasoned fish fillets on top of the puttanesca sauce and potato mixture. Drizzle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the fish and sauce. Bake the entire tray for 15 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- Serve: Remove the tray from the oven, drizzle a little more olive oil over the dish, and scatter with fresh chopped basil and reserved fennel fronds. Serve immediately with warm crusty bread to mop up the flavorful sauce.
Notes
- Potatoes should be cut no thicker than 1.75cm (2/3″) to ensure they cook through evenly. Regular potatoes, peeled or unpeeled and cut into small cubes, can also be used.
- For fennel, trim off stalks and delicate fronds (keep the fronds for garnish). Slice the bulb in half vertically and then into thin 0.5cm (0.2″) half-moons for even cooking.
- Anchovies add a subtle savory depth; 3 fillets give a faint taste while 1 fillet is barely noticeable. If you dislike anchovies, substitute with 1 tsp fish sauce or an extra 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
- Use firm fish fillets about 2.5–3cm (1″) thick like barramundi, sea bass, or cod for best results.
- Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days but are not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/4 of recipe, excluding bread)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
