Baked Greek Fish Psari Plaki The Mediterranean Dish

Plaki, pronounced Plah-KEE, is a food genre that describes Greek dishes baked or roasted with a good bit of quality olive oil, tomatoes, and vegetables. Greek fish known as psari plaki belongs to this genre of saucy baked dishes. In this recipe, I season white fish fillets with dried oregano, cumin, and paprika, then cook it in a chunky sauce with lots of onions and tomatoes. (If you’ve had this Sicilian-style baked fish, this recipe is a close cousin with a different flavor profile). I enjoyed variations of this baked fish while visiting the Greek islands a few years ago. Because the sauce is so delicious and flavorful, I like to pair this recipe with something to soak it up. I recommend serving it alongside your favorite rustic bread or over Greek lemon rice. This simple baked fish takes some white fish fillets and a few pantry staples you may already have on hand. If you haven’t cooked fish very often and need a place to start, this easy recipe is a good one for you.

Ingredients for this Greek Fish Recipe

To make this simple recipe, you’ll need white fish fillet and a few pantry staples, including canned whole tomatoes and onions. There are three simple components to this recipe: the fish, tomato sauce, and seasonings or spices. Here are a few notes on each:

Fish

In this recipe, I like to use a mild-tasting, firm white fish that goes well with bolder flavors. Halibut or cod are both good options here. Frozen fish will also work in this recipe, just thaw it in the fridge overnight according to package instructions.

Tomato Sauce

The main components of the chunky tomato sauce for this Greek fish recipe are: extra virgin olive oil (I recommend our everyday Greek olive oil), thinly sliced yellow onions, garlic, and a large 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, cooked with a few spices (below).

Seasoning

To season the fish and the sauce for this recipe, you’ll need dried oregano, sweet paprika, cumin, and Kosher salt and black pepper. Do not forget the citrus! To maximize flavor (and tame the fishy smell), the fish is coated in the spices and a bit of lemon juice before it is cooked in the sauce. Once the Greek fish is out of the oven, finish it with another splash of fresh lemon juice!

How to Make Greek fish with Tomatoes and Onions

Here is how to make this simple baked fish recipe. (If you don’t need the step photos, you can see the printable recipe with ingredient measurements below.)

Make the sauce. Cook the onions in a large oven-safe pan with a bit of good extra virgin olive oil. You just need the onions to collapse and gain a bit of color, this will take about 5 minutes. Season the onions with a big dash of kosher salt. From there, add garlic and canned whole tomatoes, then season with dried oregano and a dash more kosher salt and some black pepper. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Allow the mixture to boil briefly, then lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Season the fish. While the sauce is simmering, toss your fish with a dash of kosher salt and black pepper and the seasonings including 1 teaspoon each dried oregano and sweet paprika, and a small dash of cumin (about 1/2 teaspoon). Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon all over the fish and give it a toss then set aside briefly. Marinating the fish for just a little bit of time will give you great flavor! Add the fish to the sauce and bake! Once the sauce has thickened a bit, add your seasoned fish fillets. Nestle the fish into the sauce and spooning a good bit of it over the top. Stick the fish in the oven and allow it to bake at 400°F for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. When ready the flesh should be white and it should flake easily. Finish with parsley and more lemon juice. As soon as you take the fish out of the oven, hit it up with more lemon juice (or you can cut a lemon into wedges to serve on the side). Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately!

What to Serve with Baked Greek Fish?

To make use of the delicious sauce in this Greek fish recipe, I like serving it over a bed of rice or another grain such as farro or barley. You can also add another side or two like Greek potatoes, arugula salad, Greek green bean salad, or roasted cauliflower.