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Fish puttanesca (pesce alla puttanesca) is an easy skillet dish of mild white fish fillets simmered in a rustic Italian tomato sauce.
Top view of frying pan containing four fish fillets in puttanesca sauce topped with black olives, capers, and chopped parsley.

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.

Table of Contents

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.

A single serving of fish puttanesca and toasted garlic bread in a shallow white bowl.

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.

  1. If necessary, cut the fish into equal-sized portions. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until softened.
  3. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
  4. Add the anchovies, break up with a wooden spoon, and continue cooking until they “melt” and blend into the onions and garlic.
  5. Stir in the white wine, cook for a minute or two, then add crushed plum tomatoes, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
  6. Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Add black olives and capers, cook for another minute or two, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Stir in chopped parsley, then lay the fish fillets on top.
  9. Spoon a little sauce over each fish fillet, cover the pan and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily.
  10. To serve, spoon a portion of the sauce into shallow serving bowls, top with a portion of fish and garnish with the remaining parsley.
  11. 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.

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A stainless pan filled with fish fillets in puttanesca sauce with kalamata olives.
4.37 from 50 votes

Fish Puttanesca

By Lynne Webb
Fish puttanesca (pesce alla puttanesca) is an easy skillet dish of mild white fish fillets simmered in a rustic Italian tomato sauce.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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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
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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.

Notes

About the anchovies: You may want to taste your anchovies before adding them to the sauce and if they are too salty, give them a quick rinse in cold water before adding them to the sauce.
For a dish like this, we generally buy a slightly more expensive brand of anchovies packed in a glass jar. We find that they’re less salty and we’re able to use the olive oil they come packed in for sautéing the onion and garlic. This puts the oil to good use and adds extra flavor in the process.
Jarred anchovies can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week after opening.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 1000mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.37 from 50 votes (48 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. I Hate Anchovies.Is there anything i can sub for this recipe? I would really like to make the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Hi Nanna,

      You can definitely omit the anchovies. Consider adding soy sauce (for umami flavor) or a little of the liquid from the Kalamata olives. I would start with a teaspoon, taste, then adjust to your liking.

      Reply

  2. 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.5 stars

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  3. 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.5 stars

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

    1. 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).

      Reply

  5. Loved the dish!!! Made it with tilapia . Need to double the sauce for pasta!! Easy and very flavorful!!

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  7. Can I use something else instead of anchovies like artichokes or something else that you might know . Thank you Gail.

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply