This Easy Fish in Tomato Sauce recipe is perfect for your favorite variety of white fish like Mahi, Cod Halibut or Tilapia. Made with canned crushed tomatoes and a hint of cream with Italian seasoning it’s a super easy one pan healthy dinner!
We took our popular Chicken in Tomato Sauce recipe and swapped the chicken for fish! A sprinkle of feta gives it a Mediterranean taste that we love!
Ingredients for Fish in Tomato Sauce Recipe:
- 4 fish fillet such as mahi (which is what we used), cod, tilapia or halibut. Thawed.
- canned crushed tomatoes
- canned diced roasted tomatoes or tomato sauce
- onion
- garlic
- cream
- feta or parmesan if desired
- serve with pasta or rice if desired
We start by giving the fish a quick sear. Color is flavor! A bit of olive oil and butter. Oil keeps the butter from burning, they are BFF’s for a skillet dinner 🙂 Heavy on the salt and pepper to make a nice crust. Remember to not touch the fillet’s until they release easily from the pan and have some nice color.
We love a cast iron pan for this recipe. Both Rachel and I have Lodge Skillets in all sizes. Good quality, cheap and cheerful. No need to spend $200 bucks on a cast iron pan in our skillet opinion.
After a quick sear we add a bit more butter and cook up the onions. Toss in the garlic, tomatoes and herbs. Now is the the time to taste for salt and pepper!
We add just a touch of cream…about 1/4 cup will do it. More if you desire but we find we keep the red sauce red with just a hint of creaminess with a quarter cup.
Bring your sauce to a simmer and give a big stir. Add your fish back to the pan to finish cooking.
PRO TIP: Your fish is perfectly done when it reaches 145 degrees. A meat thermometer is your buddy…always! 30 years of cooking and I still use one almost every day. It has saved many a meal!
We love Meditteranean flavored anything so we topped with a bit of crumbly feta but you can easily substitute grated parmesan.
What do I serve with this Easy Fish in Tomato Sauce?
- pasta
- rice – try our oven baked method for easy and perfect rice every time!
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Easy Fresh Breadsticks
- Foccacia Bread
Still craving a fast healthy dinner? Try one of these popular dishes:
- Mediterranean Shrimp and Orzo – a one pan healthy dinner in about 20 minutes!
- Pico De Gallo Chicken – A fresh salsa chicken all in one baking dish!
- Zuchinni Lasagna – All the flavor less all the carbs of your favorite comfort food!
- How to cook Mahi Mahi perfectly – all the info you need to prepare fish easily!
Ingredients
- 4 fish fillets such as mahi, cod, halibut or tilapia
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14 ounce can diced roasted tomatoes drained (tomato sauce can be substituted)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or one teaspoon dried basil and one teaspoon dried oregano
- feta or parmasen cheese to garnish if desired
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and butter, swirl to coat pan.
- Pat fish fillets dry. Sprinkle generously with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place in hot pan and don't touch. Let sear for 3-4 minutes until they release easily from the pan and have formed a nice crust. Flip and sear other side.
- Remove fish to plate and keep warm.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add one tablespoon butter to pan. Add onions. Saute until tender about 2-3 minutes. Toss in garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, drained diced roasted tomatoes, heavy cream and italian seasoning to skillet.Taste for salt and pepper. Add fish back to pan and cover with sauce.
- Cook for an additonal 10 minutes or until cooked thru and fish is 145 degrees internally.
- Serve with a side or pasta or rice and top with feta and parm is desired.
Nutrition
Here’s some of the items we used to make this recipe- we only recommend items we really know and use on a regular basis!
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George says
Excellent and very easy. Will definitely make again. Used Cod was great!
Ann del Tronco says
Some lovely recipes… my elderly dad loves fish and I try to cook it daily. Can the dish be frozen and then heated in microwave? I have yet to find a good result with thi. Thanks!
Kathi & Rachel says
Hi Ann – I can’t say I’d recommend it. Would most likely be really mushy. We have a chicken in tomato sauce that would work well!
GMJ says
Yup, seafood and microwaves are not a good combo. Neither is reheating. It WILL get mushy. We just make less. BUT a good homemade marinara sause can be made ahead and used. Betting this sight has a good homemade Marinara sauce that is quick and eady
DEANNA says
BEST FISH RECIPE THAT I HAVE EVER MADE! SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS. WINNER!
Kathi & Rachel says
Thank you! We are so glad you loved it.