Baked Halibut Puttanesca

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Baked Halibut Puttanesca

# of servings: 4

Author: Chef Bec

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

If you can open jars, you can make this. It's crazy fast to throw together and hard to fuck up.

Ingredients

• a large 32 oz can of diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire roasted)
• a jar of pitted greek olives (not canned, yuck)
• 2 jars / cans of artichoke hearts (marinated or not)
• a jar of capers
• a jar of anchovies (optional)
• a container of chicken stock
• a dozen cloves of garlic, rougly chopped
• a 5 oz container fresh baby spinach
• 2 lemons
• 4 x 6-8 ounce halibut or cod fillets (skin off; if it’s on it's ok, it will come off easily once cooked)
• rice or quinoa (I suggest 1 1/2 cups dry for 4 people)
• fresh parsley (optional), roughly chopped

Directions

1. You are literally about to open cans, pour contents into a baking dish, mix, cook. Then nestle the fish in the sauce, cook some more, and you're done.
2. Preheat oven to 400. Open all the cans / containers. Strain the artichokes and olives. Roughly chop the garlic and 1/2 dozen anchovies (if using). Don't be afraid of anchovies in this context. You won't really taste them and they add a yummy saltiness and depth of flavor.
3. In a large baking dish or oven safe dish, dump in the tomatoes, olives, artichokes, 2 big spoonfulls of capers (juice ok), about a cup of chicken stock, garlic, anchovies, and baby spinach. Squeeze in two lemons. Mix all together. Cover with tin foil and put in oven for about 20 minutes. It’s ok if the oven isn’t fully preheated.
4. Cook rice or quinoa. Pat halibut dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper all sides.
5. Take baking dish out of oven, remove tin foil, mix again and salt to taste. Nestle halibut into sauce so they’re about 2/3rds submerged. Cover again with tin foil and put back in oven for 10 minutes.
6. Roughly chop some parsley and sprinkle on top. Serve in the baking dish with rice or quinoa on the side, and maybe some fresh bread for mopping up the sauce.
7. Make ahead - you can cook the sauce and leave it ready with the tin foil on the stove top. 15 minutes before you want to eat, nestle the fish and finish cooking.

Notes

Don't like fish? You can use chicken breasts or boneless thighs. Salt and pepper, cook the same way. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs which would be the most delicious, you just need to sear the skin on the stove-top first to render the fat and then cook as usual. If that sounds scary, check out my post about searing chicken thighs.