This baked fish recipe uses simple ingredients for big Mediterranean flavor! It’s a crowd-pleaser with any type of white fish.
Baked fish might sound a bit pedestrian…until you’ve tried this Mediterranean baked fish recipe! One bite and you’ll be singing its praises. Roast up any white fish with lemon, garlic and a simple mix of tomatoes, onions and olives. It comes out perfectly fork tender with a punchy zip from the lemon and tender vegetables to flavor each bite. The minute we tried it, we knew it was destined for our regular rotation: it works as both an easy weeknight meal and for dinner parties!
Types of fish to use
You can use any type of white fish in this baked fish recipe: in fact, it doesn’t even need to be white fish! It works with salmon too. Here are some varieties of mild white fish that work well. Keep in mind that each type of fish has a varying level of fillet thickness:
- Tilapia
- Halibut
- Cod
- Grouper
- Snapper
- Pollock
- Bass
Ingredients in this baked fish recipe
This baked fish recipe uses a simple Mediterranean preparation to bring big flavors to the dish! It’s easy to slice up the vegetables before baking, and it comes together into something that seems much greater than the sum of its parts. The genius of this recipe is this: the fish bakes on top of the Mediterranean-style vegetables, which give it just the right amount of moisture. The vegetables then form a tangy sauce that infuses a pop of zingy flavor into each bite. When you plate it up, make sure to add Here’s what you’ll need:
- White fish fillets
- Cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic
- Green olives and capers
- Fresh parsley
- Olive oil
- Dried oregano
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
How to bake fish
Baking white fish is pretty straightforward: it’s all about how thick the fillet is! Here are a few simple tips for how to bake fish:
- Pat the fillet dry, then season with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. This is a great basic flavor profile.
- Bake the fish for approximately 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The exact timing depends on the thickness of the fish. A very thin fillet may take 15 minutes, and very thick may take 25 minutes or more.
- Bake fish until the internal temperature is 140 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a food thermometer. This is a more precise measurement that yields perfectly cooked fish.
About the olives
This baked fish recipe uses olives for the Mediterranean-style preparation: which can be a polarizing ingredient! You can omit the olives if you’re cooking for olive haters; the dish is still delicious. But we highly recommend using them for the best flavor here! The Italian variety Castelvetrano is a green olive with a mild, buttery flavor: you can find this variety in many grocery stores near the other canned olives.
Sides for baked fish
Once you’ve got a pan of this baked fish recipe, we think you’ll agree: it’s a winner! Our entire family loves this one. Here are a few ways to pair this Mediterranean-style dinner: both for quick weeknight meals and for dinners to impress:
- Simple salad: Try Romaine Salad with Green Goddess, Arugula Salad, or Kale Caesar Salad
- Elegant salad: Go for Endive Salad with Parmesan & Orange, Frisee Salad or Fennel Orange Salad
- Vegetables: Opt for Sauteed Broccolini, Perfect Roasted Broccolini, Pan Fried Broccoli, Sauteed Green Beans or Easy Shaved Brussels Sprouts
- Grain or pasta: Add Spinach Rice with Feta, Easy Couscous, Lemon Orzo, Basic Farro, Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan, Basic Quinoa, or Seasoned Quinoa
More baked fish recipes
Love baked fish recipes? There are loads of ways to prepare fish in the oven. Here are a few more ideas:
- Tilapia: Try Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Feta or crispy Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
- Cod: Opt for Baked Cod with Lemon
- Any white fish: Go for Epic Fish Tacos
- Salmon: Try Baked Salmon, Pesto Salmon, Salmon with Capers or Pistachio Crusted Salmon
This baked fish recipe is…
Pescatarian, gluten-free and dairy free.
Print
Easy Baked Fish
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This baked fish recipe uses simple ingredients for big Mediterranean flavor! It’s a crowd-pleaser with any type of white fish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets (tilapia, halibut, cod, snapper, and so forth)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ cup green olives, sliced in half (optional*; we like Castelvetrano)
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the fish to stand at room temperature while prepping the vegetables.
- Chop the tomatoes, olives, red onion and garlic, as noted above.
- Place the chopped vegetables, drained capers, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
- Pat the fish dry. Rub it with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, split between the filets. Sprinkle both with the oregano and a few grinds black pepper. Place the fillets on top of the vegetables in the pan, then gently drizzle the fillets with the lemon juice.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish; check at 15 minutes for very thin fillets), until the fish is flaky and the internal temperature is 140 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a food thermometer. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and serve immediately, adding a few spoonful of vegetables to each plate (over the top or next to the fish).
Notes
*Omit the olives if you’re cooking for olive haters; the dish is still delicious. But we highly recommend using them for the best flavor here! The Italian variety Castelvetrano has a mild, buttery flavor.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Fish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: Baked fish, baked fish recipe, how to bake fish, baked fish recipes
Let us know if you have any questions!
★★★★★
Thanks! This looks amazing, will pick up some fresh fish today. And it’s only 4 points per serving for those on Weight Watchers.
Made this exactly as written including the Castelvetrano olives and Tilapia last night and it was AH-MAZING. Definitely on the keeper list. THANKS.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed! It’s definitely on regular rotation here.
Can you use frozen fish?
Yes, just thaw in refrigerator before hand.
Thank you so much for this! I tried it and it is the best recipe I’ve tried so far. My family enjoyed it!
★★★★★
Made with two thick cut Atlantic cod fillets and used black olives as I keep those on hand. Used up the last of my summer cherry tomatoes. I liked how easy this was to put together and quick to cook. I roasted some broccoli on a separate pan at the same time and it was a perfect light and quick dinner for two.
★★★★
A lot of us are using an air fryer these days.
If you think it is ok, do you have any time conversions?
That should work, but we don’t have any experience with timing. Sorry!
I made this last night and it was obscenely delicious and so unbelievably easy. It will definitely be in heavy rotation for a while!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!
We got frozen tilapia fillets at home and they would be perfect for this. I’ve always loved to bake our dinners, you can just do other things while you wait for them to be cooked
★★★★★
My wife wanted me to try this tonight…and we did. We are from the East coast of Canada and have plenty of Haddock and Halibut on hand and decided to use the Haddock.. a wonderful white fish here on this Coast.
It was delicious !
The cherry tomatoes we bought from a farm market in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia were so sweet and added so much to this dish, source your tomatoes locally they are always the best.
The Olives you recommended – Castelvetrano we purchased and totally awesome … the flavor was second to none.
We questioned the amount of Oregano, but as always… we follow a new recipe as written – well we were pleasantly surprised … it was perfect flavoring…
Can’t wait to go to Europe/Mediterranean area in the Spring to try more of this type of dish during our travels there.
Thank you so much for sharing.. our next dinner guests will be pleasantly surprised when we serve this meal to them…
A White Pino Grigio served with this dish was thee perfect pairing…
Steve & Nancy
So glad you enjoyed!
Excited to try tonight for our Friday fish with fried potatoes and your yummy Mediterranean veggies. Appreciate your special recipes. I’ll be giving my daughter your cookbook for her birthday. She’ll appreciate the vegan recipes.