Cod in tomato sauce baked in the oven, prepped & cooked in just 30 minutes making it a quick, easy and delicious mid-week meal winner.
Whilst this recipe uses cod, you can substitute it for coley, pollock, whiting or hake and it will work perfectly!
Baked Fish in Tomato Sauce!
It is pretty rare of me to remember where recipes come from, but this cod in tomato sauce recipe I seem to recall seeing on the TV.
British readers of a certain age may remember Ready, Steady Cook. Well, I saw this recipe there back in the mid 90’s (pre Ainsley Harriot) and I have been cooking it since!
Oddly enough I have distant memories of my pan-fried skate wings recipe and cod en papillote both having their genus there too!
Growing up fish in tomato sauce meant sardines, but I grew out of that. Now sardines, for me, are much more likely to appear in fish cakes, like these salmon fishcakes.
The tomato sauce features anchovies, capers and garlic and not a lot else.
It is a recipe that screams less is more and it is so simple. If you are one of those people that thinks that cooking fish is difficult, make this, it will change your mind!
If you love this recipe and a bit of spice be sure to check out my macher jhol recipe. A Bengali fish curry that has been more than a little bit influenced by cod in tomato sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use other types of fish?
Yes, this recipe works really well with all types of meaty white fish.
Feel free to sub it out for something like pollock, coley, hake (whiting) or haddock.
Can I use fillets of fish rather than loin?
Yes, loin cooks more evenly due to its size. But fillet works equally well, the thinner bits will just be cooked more than the heart of the fillet.
Can I skip the anchovies, I do not like them?
You can, but I would urge you not to!
They do not offer that big anchovy punch as they do on a Caesar salad or a pizza. In fact, the flavour is almost undetectable, but they add an almost meaty umami punch to the sauce.
Do I have to use the capers?
No, you can make a plain tomato sauce and add a load of herbs if you like. But at least give them a try once, they are delicious!
Serving Suggestions.
You can take this cod in tomato sauce recipe off in several directions in order to create a complete meal.
My personal favourite addition is green beans with almonds. A really old school French classic with plenty of butter.
Whilst we are being “naughty” with this very nutritious recipe then another option would be crispy fried potatoes or some straw potatoes.
It feeds into that fish and chip thing and that tomato sauce is just heavenly with salty potatoes.
I’m not a huge advocate of “pasta as a side” but I know many love it! If you are one of those people this would work wonderfully on a bed of pasta dressed with olive oil and garlic.
Baked Cod in Tomato Sauce Recipe
Cooking in just 30 minutes this baked cod loin in tomato sauce is guaranteed to become a goto simple and nutritious meal.
Ingredients
- 300g (10 oz) Cod Loin
- 1 Shallot (~35g) Shallot
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Anchovy Fillet
- 40g (¼ Cup) Capers
- 300g (1¼ Cups) Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
- Pinch of Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ¼-½ Tsp Salt
- Fresh Basil Leaves
Instructions
- Dice the shallot and garlic as finely as you can.
- Roughly chop the anchovy fillet.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat.
- Add the chopped garlic, shallot and anchovy and cook for 5 minutes.
- Roughly chop the capers.
- Add the tomatoes, capers to the pan and stir.
- Season with salt and sugar to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Season the cod with salt and then add to the tomato sauce.
- You can spoon the sauce over the fish if you like, I prefer not to!
- Transfer to the oven and bake at 180°C or 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 1090mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 48g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.