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
A few key ingredients make this recipe work – here’s what to know. A complete list with quantities is in the 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.
A Quick Look at Preparation
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.
My go to quick dinner party supper. Make the the sauce the day before. Just cook the fish when you are ready.
Serve with garlic bread to mop up the delicious sauce.
So glad to hear this dish made it to your dinner party menu! Making the sauce ahead is smart, and garlic bread for soaking up the puttanesca sauce is our favorite way to serve it too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great, used haddock and was done perfectly in 6 minutes, had some Tuscan Kale around and chopped it very fine and cooked it in the sauce and seemed that that worked out fine, had roasted zucchini and spaghetti noodles to serve with it also. Very good a keeper!
Hi Frances,
Glad to hear you liked the recipe. Adding the kale to the sauce is a smart move – extra flavor and nutrition! Zucchini and pasta really round out the meal. Thanks for taking the time to share – it’s always appreciated.