Fish Puttanesca (Pesce Alla Puttanesca)
Fish puttanesca (pesce alla puttanesca) is an easy skillet dish of mild white fish fillets simmered in a rustic Italian tomato sauce.
Our 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 did puttanesca sauce get its name?
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. As a result of the war, jobs for women were scarce in those days, and many turned to “alternative options” in order to support themselves.
According to La Cucina, a definitive guide to authentic Italian food compiled by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the dish is typical of Rome.
It’s speculated that the sauce got its name because of the bold and pungent flavors of its ingredients.
Regardless of the name, puttanesca sauce is exceptionally flavorful, easy to make, delicious on spaghetti, and perfect for a simple dish like Fish Puttanesca.
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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.
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8 Comments on “Fish Puttanesca (Pesce Alla Puttanesca)”
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.