Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes

March 06, 2019

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.

Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes

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.

Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes

This Easy Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes is baked in a garlic and herb infused tomato sauce that helps keep it tender and moist as it bakes.

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)

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.

If you need some garlic bread to go along with your fish, check out my Homemade Garlic Bread!

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.