Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives

Thank you for this incredibly delicious, easy, and fast baked fish recipe! This is a keeper that I know I will be coming back to time and again. The complexity of flavors and the visual appeal hide the truth that this is a simple and fast recipe to make with very little prep and clean-up. Slicing my cherry tomatoes in half before roasting made them easier to eat.

I used tilapia because the store I went to was out of flounder and it was an excellent choice—the sweet, mild fish was perfect to showcase all the other flavors, and I would use tilapia again. I love recipes where the author suggests and encourages experimentation and adaptation of the original recipe. In this case, the author’s encouragement empowered me to personalize the dish as follows:

I omitted the garlic (I am sadly allergic to it) but used a bit more shallot to compensate; after baking the fish, topped with olive oil, salt, and sliced olives as directed, for exactly 13 minutes I sprinkled each fillet with a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice and generously sprinkled each filet with approximately 1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan before putting it back in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough to let the cheese melt. Instead of buying and chopping fresh herbs to finish the dish, I took some salad bar fattoush I had bought and sprinkled a little on top of each filet before serving. It was not only lovely to look at, but the components in the fattoush (chopped parsley, finely chopped tomatoes, mint, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt) worked perfectly to highlight this flavorful dish.

The best way I can describe the results is to tell you that my husband—who NEVER eats fish—ate every bite and asked me to please make this recipe again soon. He loved it! I appreciated the fact that it did not take me long to get this meal on the table and clean-up was a breeze in that no bowls or other dishes were required. The author refers to “small victory” as an adjective (loved that!). Every once in a while, a recipe comes along that gives the cook a feeling of pride, accomplishment, and mastery. A “small victory,” indeed. Perhaps this masterpiece of a recipe should be titled “Small Victory Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives”! But no matter what it is called, I know I will be making it time and again.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. It’s a tasty, healthy dish which can be prepared in about 45 minutes. I made the basic version of this recipe but I plan to try some of the variations, especially the Spanish version. I served it with parslied potatoes which combined perfectly with the roasted tomato sauce.

This sort of recipe is wonderful for a few reasons: 1. its simplicity; 2. its healthy ingredients; 3. the addition of variations on the basic recipe. It’s tasty and simple enough to make any night of the week for a quick dinner but also elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party. Colorful in presentation, this sort of recipe really is a great recipe for experienced cooks but also those just starting to learn about the joys of cooking. (The recipe calls for flounder, but I think it would work well with trout, sole, cod or even wild salmon.)

Along with this dish I served a simple watercress salad with pistachios, shaved Parmesan, and a lemon vinaigrette as well as a glass of white wine and some bread for dipping. I was able to find flounder at my local supermarket, so that is what I used; I used pitted kalamata olives and Italian parsley. (The recipe mentions basil and chives as well, but I think fresh thyme, rosemary, or oregano would also work just fine.) The timing of 20 minutes to roast the tomatoes was right on; at this point they were exuding their juices and getting a bit wrinkly in appearance. I highly recommend using multi-colored cherry tomatoes for a lovely appearance, and I definitely recommend keeping this basic recipe, and its variations, in your favorite recipes folder! I am very interested in trying the Moroccan version next…maybe with some fresh mint and couscous as recommended.

As a lifelong Catholic who is well aware Lent starts in a month, I’ve recently been looking for easy and quick fish recipes that can conceivably be cooked on a work night. This baked fish with tomatoes and olives meets all my criteria. It’s easy, healthy, and it can be altered slightly so that diners are less likely to be bored time after time. It was a mild dish; I added a healthy portion of fresh ground black pepper to my portion. Think changing into something not work-related and relaxing a bit over a glass of wine, and ta da! Dinner is ready.

Easy and healthy is a win-win combination and this baked fish with tomatoes and olives delivers on both. One pan. What’s not to like? The high-heat roast of the tomatoes really gets the juices flowing and intensifies their flavor. Combining that with the delicate yet sturdy fish topped with briny olives makes this weeknight-doable dish super tasty. The flavor variations included are helpful too and make this recipe one we’ll come back to! This time we went with the Moroccan version, so we added saffron, cumin and chopped apricots to the mix. The apricots added a really nice sweet note to the dish and the bits of apricot that got browned were delicious. As suggested, we served it with couscous, which was a great accompaniment to have with the sauce.