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Fish puttanesca is a great recipe for when you want big flavor without a lot of fuss. The anchovy-rich tomato sauce comes together quickly, then the fish is nestled in and cooked gently right in the pan. The result is a savory, satisfying main dish that’s hearty but not heavy.
The sauce stays true to tradition: sautéed onions, garlic, and anchovies simmered with crushed tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, and red pepper flakes before the fish is added. We recommend garlic bread on the side for dipping, but you can just as easily reserve some of the sauce and toss it with a handful of your favorite pasta as a side dish.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
MILD WHITE FISH: 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 this fish puttanesca recipe with tilapia, cod, snapper, and haddock. They’re all delicious.
ANCHOVIES: 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 a little less salty and have a better texture. Once opened they’ll keep for about a week in the refrigerator.
OLIVES: We recommend using Kalamata olives for puttanesca sauce. They have a tangy, briny flavor that stands up well to the anchovies and complements the capers. You could use plain ripe (black) olives as well, just know that the flavor will not be as bold.
Prep Overview
How to Make Fish Puttanesca
Planning to try this recipe? Take a quick look at what’s involved, then get the full details in the printable recipe card below.
Start by making a classic Italian puttanesca sauce. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, then add anchovies until they melt into the mixture. Deglaze with white wine, stir in crushed tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes, simmer for a bit, then finish the sauce with black olives, capers, and parsley.
Nestle your fish fillets into the sauce, spoon some over the top, and cover the pan. Simmer gently until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.
More Italian-Inspired Fish Recipes
The bright, savory elements of Italian cooking enhance the mild flavor of many white fish varieties. If you enjoy this kind of pairing, try our buttery, crumb-topped baked cod, or our oven-fried fish fillets drizzled with lemon-basil butter, a simple recipe featuring fragrant herbs and tangy citrus.
Fish Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild, white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, barramundi)
For the Puttanesca Sauce
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces flat anchovies, see notes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 28 ounces Italian plum tomatoes, crushed, (1 can)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- If necessary, cut the fish fillets 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 them up with a wooden spoon, and continue cooking until they've “melted” 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 and stir about 3 tablespoons of the chopped parsley into the sauce.
- Nestle the fish fillets into the sauce and spoon a little 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.
- Serve with garlic bread, or reserve some of the sauce to toss with your favorite cut of pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So happy to have tried this recipe. It’s the first time I made this dish. Will be making it over and over again just simply so simple to put together and the flavors are so delicious. I used Halibut and it’s the best way to cook it allows the fish to be so moist and the timing is spot on, Thank you for sharing!
Hi Marguerite,
Thanks so much for the nice rating and review on this recipe. We really appreciate your time. We love making fish this way too and between me and my daughter have tried it with halibut, haddock, cod, tilapia, and barramundi and the results are consistently good. So glad you enjoyed it too.
I made this for my wife one evening and the immediate response was “This is company worthy”. Add it to the list. So I am making it tonight for friends. I hope it comes out just as good this time around. I am using fresh plum tomatoes as I did the first time. I did omit the anchovies even though I should probably use them for added flavor, but it’s still a great dish. I am serving over jasmine rice, and julienned sauteed veggies. I will also make garlic bread because who can resist fresh garlic crostini?
Hi Joe,
We’re so glad to hear the fish was a hit the first time around. It sounds like you have a great menu planned for round two, and I’m sure your company will enjoy it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and share your serving ideas with other readers. And you’re right – nobody can resist garlic crostini!
I Hate Anchovies.Is there anything i can sub for this recipe? I would really like to make the recipe.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can you cook it in the oven?
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).
Loved the dish!!! Made it with tilapia . Need to double the sauce for pasta!! Easy and very flavorful!!
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the dish – it’s one of my favorites.
Can I use fillet of sole for this dish? If so which would recommend lemon or grey?
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.
Can I use something else instead of anchovies like artichokes or something else that you might know . Thank you Gail.
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.