Description
This Puttanesca Fish Tray Bake is a vibrant and flavorful one-pan meal featuring tender barramundi fillets baked atop roasted baby potatoes and a zesty puttanesca sauce made with olives, capers, anchovies, tomatoes, and fennel. The dish is finished with fresh basil and fennel fronds, perfect for a healthy, Mediterranean-inspired dinner served with warm crusty bread for mopping up the delicious sauce.
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, 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: Set your oven to 220°C/390°F (200°C fan-forced) to get it ready for roasting.
- Roast potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the halved and quartered baby potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Spread the potatoes out in a single layer on a rimmed baking tray at least 2cm/0.8″ high or a 23x33cm / 9×13″ baking pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes to start softening and browning them.
- Prepare puttanesca sauce and combine: While the potatoes begin roasting, combine all the puttanesca sauce ingredients—sliced fennel, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, minced garlic, chopped capers, anchovies, canned tomatoes, chili flakes, dried oregano, and salt—in the same bowl used for the potatoes (no need to clean). Add this sauce mixture to the tray with the partially roasted potatoes and gently toss everything together to combine. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
- Season fish: Pat the barramundi fillets dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season both sides of the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper.
- Bake fish: Nestle the seasoned fish fillets on top of the potato and puttanesca sauce mixture in the tray. Drizzle the fish and sauce with an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily when tested with a fork.
- Serve: Remove the tray from the oven. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the dish, scatter the reserved fennel fronds and fresh chopped basil leaves on top for a fresh burst of flavor. Serve directly from the tray with warm, crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.
Notes
- Potatoes: Cut potatoes no thicker than 1.75cm/2/3″ to ensure even cooking. You can also use regular potatoes, peeled or unpeeled and cut into small cubes.
- Fennel Preparation: Remove stalks and fronds (save fine fronds for garnish). Slice a thin piece off the base if brown. Halve the bulb vertically, then slice each half into 0.5cm thin half-moon shapes.
- Anchovies: Anchovies add depth and savoriness. For mild flavor use 3 anchovies; for subtle flavor use 1. If you prefer no anchovies, substitute with 1 tsp fish sauce or 1/4 tsp extra kosher salt.
- Fish Fillets: Choose firm fish fillets about 2.5 to 3cm thick to ensure they bake evenly without drying out.
- Leftovers: Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Not recommended for freezing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe (excluding bread)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
