051Baked fish with tomato

Method

Traditional oven-baked tray version. Excellent warm or at room temperature, served with crusty sourdough bread.

You will need

• frying pan
• baking dish
• box grater
• knife and chopping board

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 190°C (375°F). 190°C / 375°F Ready when: oven reaches set temperature
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat, add the sliced onions, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and pale gold. 10 min Ready when: onions are tender and lightly sweet
3. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. 1 min Ready when: tomato paste darkens slightly
4. Pour in the white wine, let it simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, then stir in the grated tomatoes and half the parsley; season with salt and black pepper. 2 min Ready when: wine reduces and sauce blends evenly
5. Transfer the softened onion and tomato mixture into a 35 x 25 cm baking dish, spreading it out into an even layer. 1 min Ready when: vegetables form a uniform bed
6. Season the fish inside and out with salt and black pepper, then place it directly on top of the tomato and onion bed. 2 min Ready when: fish is arranged securely in the tray
7. Lay the lemon slices over the fish and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the whole dish. 1 min Ready when: fish is coated with oil and topped with citrus
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the fish flakes easily at the backbone and the sauce is bubbling and reduced. 28 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: fish flesh is opaque and juices run clear
9. Scatter the remaining chopped parsley over the top and let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. 10 min Ready when: sauce settles and oil recombines

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Make ahead and storing

The onion and tomato base can be cooked up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days; enjoy cold or gently rewarmed.

Substitutions

• cod or haddock fillets for whole sea bass or sea bream (or thick cod steaks). Thick fillets can be used instead of a whole fish; reduce baking time to 18-20 minutes.
• water with a squeeze of lemon juice for dry white wine. Water with lemon juice provides a clean acidity if avoiding alcohol.

Common mistakes

• Adding the fish raw to raw onions without pre-cooking the sauce. Fish cooks much faster than onions, leaving the onions crunchy and unpleasantly sharp.
• Baking at too high a temperature. High heat dries out delicate white fish before the aromatic sauce has reduced properly.

Regional variants

• In some coastal regions, thinly sliced potatoes are arranged under the onions to absorb the savoury fish juices.

About the dish

The culinary term plaki derives from the Greek word plaka (flat slab) or the Ottoman pilaki, denoting vegetables, pulses, or fish braised flat in a shallow pan with plenty of olive oil, sliced onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Found in seaside homes and island tavernas throughout Greece, it is traditionally made with large whole white fish such as sea bass, bream, or cod steaks. It is equally delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch, summer.

Cousins elsewhere

• Balık pilaki (Turkish). A cold or warm Ottoman-derived preparation of fish baked or stewed with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil.
• Pesce all'acqua pazza (Italian). Fish braised gently in an aromatic broth of tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

531 kcal · protein 48.7 g · fat 28.4 g (saturated 4.4 g) · carbohydrate 16.7 g (sugars 7.6 g) · fibre 3.7 g · sodium 184 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. The pan-Greek home-cooking style of baking fish on a generous bed of slowly stewed aromatics..