If you’re intimidated by fish, this Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes is a great place to start. Baking the fish in a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, and herbs infuses flavor, helps keep it moist as it bakes, and reduces the chances of over cooking the fish. It’s simple and totally yum! I love serving this fish with some crusty bread for dipping in the tomato sauce, and a nice simple green salad on the side.
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This is actually a remake of one of my old recipes from back in 2014, Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes, that I had been wanting to revisit for quite some time. It was one of my favorite recipes because it’s so crazy easy, yet totally flavorful. But it desperately needed some new photos and I wanted to highlight the fact that it can be made with more than just tilapia.
What Type of Fish Should I Use?
This recipe is great with any type of mild white fish. Think cod, halibut, tilapia, pollock, or grouper (there are more, those are just a few common varieties). I feel like fish with stronger flavors, like salmon, would probably compete too much with the flavors in the dish.
I used Cod fillets for my Baked Fish with Tomatoes. The cod fillets were twice as expensive as the tilapia, but I’ve heard some horror stories about tilapia farming, so I opted for the line-caught MSC certified cod fillets instead. Sustainability labeling on seafood can be confusing, IMHO, but I feel better know that I’m at least trying!
Baking Time will Vary
Fish fillets come in all shapes and sizes, which will affect the baking time. If your fish came packaged, check the directions on the package for guidance, but it’s best to use an instant read thermometer (affiliate link) to make sure the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145ºF. I am baking cod fillets with a medium thickness, so if you’re baking thin, flat fillets, you’ll likely need to reduce the baking time slightly.
If you need some garlic bread to go along with your fish, check out my Homemade Garlic Bread!
Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.23)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.06)
- 1 lb. white fish (four 4oz. fillets) ($4.95)
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional) ($0.11)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Drain the excess liquid from the can of diced tomatoes. Combine the diced tomatoes in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill), and lemon juice.
- Spread about 1/3 of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish big enough to fit all of your fillets without overlapping. Lay the fish fillets over the tomato mixture, then spoon the rest of the tomatoes over top, completely covering the fish.
- Bake the fish for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145º and the fish easily flakes. Serve hot, with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley on top.
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Equipment
- Meat Thermometer
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Small Roasting Pan
Nutrition
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How to Make Baked Fish with Tomatoes – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Drain most of the liquid from a 15oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Combine the tomatoes in a bowl with 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill), and 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
Spread about 1/3 of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a baking dish that is big enough to fit your fish fillets in a single layer without overlapping.
These are the cod fillets I used, which are about 4oz. each. If you’re using frozen fillets, make sure to thaw them completely first.
Place the fish fillets on top of the tomato mixture…
Spoon the rest of the tomato mixture over the fish. It should cover the fish completely.
Bake the fish in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. The total baking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your fish fillets. Garnish the fish with some chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Serve the Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes while it’s hot, and don’t forget those yummy juices from the baking dish!
Easy to follow & a nutritional yummy meal!
Using 1 lb of cod, the recipe covers the fish completely. Using tilapia it’s a thin spread. Next time I’ll use double the tomato mixture. Very tasted!
We love this recipe at my house. I don’t change a thing and I make it regularly. I’ve paired it with simple pasta, garlic bread or roasted potatoes most often as well as a simple side salad. It is filling without making you feel gross and when anyone asks me for a recipe recommendation this is the one I send them. It is SO easy to make.
I’m not really a fish fan, but I know it’s healthy so I’m trying to find ways to eat it more. I used cod for the fish and it turned out really good! Served with sautéed potatoes and green beans to get some more of our veggies in.
Absolutely delicious, not to mention easy to make. I used flounder filets and they cooked even more quickly since they’re so thin. Will make this again and again.
This was delicious. I had some redfish that I couldn’t figure out what to do with so I tried this and glad I did! I think I’ll cook some jasmine rice for the juices, and add olives. Thank you for this recipe!
Roasted my own home grown tomatoes with a little balsamic vinegar and then followed the recipe, just delicious.
Love this recipe. I like to give it a spanish flare by added green olives and white onion cut in rings. Then serve with a splash of lemon juice