Tomato and Fennel Baked Fish

a blue plate with a piece of garlic toast, topped with flaky white fish, roasted cherry tomatoes, onions and fennel. A knife and fork are cutting the fish for eating.

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Tomato and Fennel Baked Fish

This is a gorgeous one pan meal complete with plenty of veg and crusty, garlicky toast. It’s fancy enough for company and easy enough for midweek, and combi steam gives you perfect, flaky cooked fish in a flash.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Australian, Italian

Keyword: baked fish, combi steam fish, steam oven fish

Servings:

Calories: 503kcal

Ingredients

Fish and vegetables

4 white fish fillets each weighing 180g/6oz, boneless but skin on, see notes
1/2 tsp fine salt divided
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced about ¼” (7mm) thick
1 fennel bulb sliced about ¼” (7mm) thick, see notes
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes mixed colors, halved, see notes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley plus extra for garnish

Garlic toasts to serve

4 slices crusty bread thickly sliced, see notes
1 clove garlic halved
1/2 tsp flaky salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 400°F/200°C, 80% (high) humidity.
Sprinkle the flesh side of the fish fillets with half of the salt, then set them aside while you prepare the vegetables.
4 white fish fillets, 1/2 tsp fine salt
Put the oil, sliced onion and sliced fennel into a large baking dish. Put it into the preheated oven and cook until the vegetables are sizzling, translucent and beginning to color at the edges, about 6-8 minutes.
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 red onion, 1 fennel bulb
Remove the dish from the oven and give things a good stir, then add the garlic, cherry tomatoes and black pepper. Add half a cup of water to the dish, stir and return it to the oven. Cook until the tomatoes start to wrinkle and soften, about 6 minutes.
2 cloves garlic, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Remove the dish from the oven. Sprinkle the parsley into the dish, give everything another stir and lay the seasoned fish on top of the vegetables. Cook until the fish is just cooked through and flakes with a fork, this will take about 6 minutes for thinner ⅜”/1cm fillets and up to 10-12 minutes for thicker ¾”/2cm fillets.
4 white fish fillets, 3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
While the fish is cooking, toast the bread until golden. Rub both sides of each slice with the cut garlic clove, then place onto warmed serving plates. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the olive oil.
4 slices crusty bread, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp flaky salt, 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
When the fish is cooked, use a spatula to place one fish fillet onto each garlic toast. Spoon the cooked vegetables and juices over and around the fish, and garnish with additional fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

Notes

I used snapper fillets for this dish, but any firm white fish fillets will work. Think halibut, tilapia, cod, barramundi, red emperor, hake or sea bass. Even small whole fish like whiting or fresh sardines will work for this dish, just alter your cooking times depending on the size and thickness of your fish.
Fennel bulbs can be found in many greengrocers and some supermarkets. They are the milder and sweeter part of the same plant which grows aniseed-tasting fennel fronds and flowers, making it a great match with fish. If you haven’t seen or used a fennel bulb before, it’s a white, bulbous vegetable which looks a little like a cross between celery and onion when sliced, and can be used in similar ways, both cooked and raw. If you can’t find, or don’t like, fennel, you can swap it out and just use extra red onions in this dish.
Mixed cherry tomatoes give this dish lovely color and shape variety, but you can use all red ones if that’s what’s available, or even diced regular tomatoes.
For the garlic toasts, I prefer a crusty bread with a sturdy but open crumb, like ciabatta. It holds the saucy vegetables well without disintegrating before you have a chance to eat it! Day-old bread is absolutely fine, you’re going to toast it anyway.

Nutrition