Pesce alla Puttanesca (aka Fish Puttanesca) is a revised take on Pasta alla Puttanesca, a much-loved Italian dish that pairs pasta with a unique, robustly flavored tomato sauce.
Our recipe for the puttanesca sauce itself is classic, but instead of serving it over pasta, we use it to simmer mild white fish fillets and serve them up with buttery garlic bread.
Key ingredients in this recipe
A traditional puttanesca sauce is made with generous amounts of garlic and diced onion sautéed in olive oil, dry white wine, Italian plum tomatoes, anchovies, black olives, capers, and parsley.
Just about any mild white fish that flakes easily will work for this dish. Barramundi is the fish pictured in our photos, but we’ve made fish puttanesca with cod on many occasions.
Tilapia, snapper, and haddock are good choices as well. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time a bit for thicker fish fillets.
How to Make Fish Puttanesca (Pesce alla Puttanesca)
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- If necessary, cut the fish into equal-sized portions. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until softened.
- Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the anchovies, break up with a wooden spoon, and continue cooking until they “melt” and blend into the onions and garlic.
- Stir in the white wine, cook for a minute or two, then add crushed plum tomatoes, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add black olives and capers, cook for another minute or two, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir in chopped parsley, then lay the fish fillets on top.
- Spoon a little sauce over each fish fillet, cover the pan and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily.
- To serve, spoon a portion of the sauce into shallow serving bowls, top with a portion of fish and garnish with the remaining parsley.
- Serve with garlic bread.
FYI: The Origin of Puttanesca Sauce
Translated from Italian, the word puttanesca means “in the style of a prostitute.”
Puttanesca sauce originated in Italy around the time of World War II when jobs for women were scarce. It’s speculated that the sauce got its name because its boldly flavored ingredients were reminiscent of the bawdy women who turned to “alternative” ways to support themselves.
Regardless of the name, puttanesca sauce is exceptionally flavorful, easy to make, delicious on pasta, and perfect for a simple dish like this one.
Fish Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild, white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, barramundi)
- Garlic bread for serving, 8 slices
For the Puttanesca Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces flat anchovies, see notes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 can, 28-ounces Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup pitted black olives, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- If necessary, cut the fish into equal-sized portions. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute longer.
- Add the anchovies, break up with a wooden spoon, and continue cooking until they “melt” and blend into the onions and garlic.
- Stir in the white wine, cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the black olives and capers, cook for another 2 minutes, then season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir about 3 tablespoons of the parsley into the sauce, then lay the fish fillets on top.
- Spoon some sauce over each fillet, cover the pan and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily.
- Thinner fillets like tilapia and barramundi will take 6 to 8 minutes, thicker fillets like cod or haddock will take a few minutes longer.
- To serve, spoon a portion of the sauce into shallow serving bowls, top with a portion of fish and garnish with the remaining parsley.
- Add a couple of slices of garlic bread and serve immediately.
Joy says
I made this dish using Ling Cod. My husband and our guests thought it was delicious. I sautéed the fish separately in olive oil with parsley so I could quickly remove each piece of fish as they turned opaque. This dish was so delicious that it will be a staple for guests when we are at the coast where fish is fresh and abundant. Thank you for this recipe.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Joy,
I’m so happy to hear how much you liked this dish. We make it often with different types of fish and really enjoy it too.
Precilla says
My family and I absolutely loved this recipe. I cooked tilapia in the sauce for about 6 minutes and it turned out perfectly tender, flaky, and moist. It has been requested to be placed in our regular meal rotation.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Precilla,
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. We make it frequently and are never disappointed. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to leave a comment.
Claudia says
Can you cook it in the oven?
Lynne Webb says
Hi Claudia,
You could use an oven-proof sauté pan, make the sauce through step #5, and instead of simmering it on the stove, put it in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes. After that time, stir in the olives, capers, and parsley, place the fish fillets on top, spoon some of the sauce over them and return the pan to the oven to cook the fish through, 10 to 15 minutes more (depending on the thickness of the fillets).
Barbara Ivy Sherman-Hill says
Loved the dish!!! Made it with tilapia . Need to double the sauce for pasta!! Easy and very flavorful!!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the dish – it’s one of my favorites.
Ron Francomano says
Can I use fillet of sole for this dish? If so which would recommend lemon or grey?
Lynne Webb says
Hi Ron,
I think either type of sole would be fine for this dish in terms of flavor, but because sole has such a delicate texture, it could break up in the sauce. If you try it, just handle it very gently and watch the cooking time – 6 minutes in the sauce should be adequate.
Gail Fisher. says
Can I use something else instead of anchovies like artichokes or something else that you might know . Thank you Gail.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Gail,
If you don’t care for anchovies, you can just omit them. Anchovies simply dissolve into the sauce for added flavor. They don’t add any substance to the dish so you don’t need to replace them with another ingredient. Although it may sound strange, you could partially replicate the “umami” quality anchovies add to this dish by adding a little bit of soy sauce to the sauce.