This Baked Mediterranean fish with olives and capers is one of our absolute favorite baked white fish recipe. It’s cooked in a delicious tomato based sauce until tender and flaky. It’s a 30 minute dinner recipe you don’t want to miss! Serve with rice or a chunky sourdough bread to mop up the salty goodness.
On our recent trip, we were invited to have lunch at our family friend’s place in Cairo. The lady of the house was from Ronda, a small town in Spain and the husband is from Cairo. We got to taste a couple of Mediterranean dishes and traditional Egyptian dishes. How incredibly lucky are we?! The family was so kind to make vegetarian options for me and meat/fish dishes for the rest. Their hospitality was unmatched.
If there’s one thing I never miss during my travels, is, eating at local homes and this family being a family friend of ours worked out perfect. In a bit of delicious irony, the two of us ladies struck up a conversation when she was flavoring the fish. We quickly discovered a shared interest in cooking, world cuisine, and travel, and she graciously slowed down the process and shared exactly how to make her mom’s world famous baked fish. We swapped stories about how hard it was to find culturally authentic dining experiences when abroad.. She was enthusiastic about Indian food. All this with her husband being the mediator/translator. I did not feel sorry for him 🙂 . We got along fabulously.
“Sharing a meal is the best way for
people to get to know one another.
This is how we realize how similar we
are, despite being from different parts
of the world, different cultures.”
This is a recipe for making baked Mediterranean fish. There are several kinds of fish you can choose from: cod, grouper, snapper, tilapia. White fish are mild-flavored so it’s a good choice if you’re unsure about eating fish.
My boys loved this recipe of baked Mediterranean fish which is bright with lemon flavor that goes so well with the mild-tasting fish. I had to give it my own little twist by adding some spices that I think hits a spot with my boys and will with you all too.
Baked white fish is one of the easiest and fastest dinners you can make on a busy weeknight. Here, the fish fillet takes on a tasty mixture of tomatoes, olives, garlic and red onions, which bathes the fish with fresh and bright Mediterranean flavors. Best part, it takes only 15 to 20 minutes in a high-heated oven!
Serve this baked fish it crusty bread like I did or herbed rice or a Greek salad.
If you’re new to cooking fish, let’s cover a few basics and some tips for baked fish…
What is white fish?
When a recipe calls for white fish, what kind of fish should you buy? Unlike a rich and oily fish such as salmon or tuna, white fish refers to mildly flavored fish that has a subtle hint of sweetness and colorless, flaky flesh. It is readily available wherever you travel. If you’ve had fish-n-chips at a local restaurant, you’ve had white fish.
Cod, halibut, tilapia, grouper, snapper, sea bass, and haddock are all examples of white fish, and any of them will work in this recipe as long as you are working with a fillet.
How to make baked fish?
One of the great things about making baked fish is that it cooks quickly so you can get a healthy dinner on the table fast.
The exact cooking time varies a little, depending on the thickness of the fish fillets. In a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven the fish will be cooked in 12-15 minutes
Baked Mediterranean fish Fish: Step-by-Step
Like I said, this is one of the easiest dinners you’ll make. There really are three main steps to making this Mediterranean fish recipe: season the fish fillet, cook the tomato and olives mixture, and bake!
- Season the fish
Pat dry and season your fish with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top. - Cook the tomato and olive mixture
Sauté the tomatoes, olives, caper in good quality olive oil. - Assemble and bake
Top the white fish fillet with the tomato mixture and bake in a 425 degrees F heated-oven for about 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
Your Mediterranean style Baked fish is ready!!
Bon Appetit or بالعافية! bialeafiata!
- 4 fillets white fish, cod or halibut, tilapia(1 to 1 ½ in thickness)
- salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 12 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp coriander/cilAntro powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp chili flakes
- 2 tomAtoes, crushed
- ⅓ cup pitted olives, chopped (I used a combination of kalamata olives and green olives)
- 2 tsp capers
- 10 grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp oregano
- l/2 lemon juice and grated lemon zest
- salt and pepper as required
- Mint to garnish
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside
- In a saute pan, add oil and let it get warm. Toss in the onion, sauté it for a minute, add the garlic, cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the capers, olives, coriander/cilantro powder, cumin powder, chili flakes and fry for another minute. Then add in the tomatoes, oregano and half of the grape tomatoes. Add ½ tsp of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Take a 9 by 12 baking dish, pour half the tomato sauce in the dish, place the fish carefully and top it with the rest of the sauce. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and top it with the remaining tomatoes.
- Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes flaky and soft. (this will depend on the thickness of your fish).. Tear the mint and garnish
- Remove from the heat and serve hot with some toasty bread or rice
Serve with bread, lemon rice, couscous, or your favorite grain. Try adding a big salad as well.
If you make this baked fish/baked Mediterranean fish, please rate the recipe and comment if you liked it and tag me on Instagram using hashtag #foodfashionparty.
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