Fasting White Fish in Tomato Sauce

Preparation

1. Preparing the Fish

Rinse the fillets under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides — do not overdo it, as the olives and capers will bring saltiness to the sauce.

2. Making the Tomato Sauce

In a wide, deep pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sweat for 5–7 minutes until softened and translucent — it should not brown.

Add the garlic and sweat for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Add the canned tomatoes (or freshly chopped peeled tomatoes) and stir well. Add the pinch of sugar to balance the acidity — this small trick makes a big difference.

Cook the sauce uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the flavours meld. Stir in the olives and rinsed capers and cook for another 2 minutes. Taste for salt — adjust carefully as the olives and capers already bring saltiness.

3. Cooking the Fish in the Sauce

Place the fish fillets directly into the sauce — lower them in gently with a spoon. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

The fish is done when:

• it changes colour from translucent grey to fully white
• it flakes easily into layers when pressed with a fork
• the inside of the fillet is no longer glassy

Do not turn the fish during cooking — it would break up. Instead, baste the fish with the sauce using a spoon throughout cooking.

4. Serving

Carefully transfer the fillets to serving plates using a flat spatula (fish is fragile). Spoon the tomato sauce generously over each portion. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Perfect accompaniments: cooked white rice, jacket potatoes, polenta, toasted bread for mopping up the sauce, or a simple salad.

Tips

Why sugar in tomato sauce: canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes out of season have elevated acidity. A small amount of sugar (half a teaspoon) does not sweeten the sauce but neutralises the acidity and gives the sauce a more rounded flavour. This is a standard technique in Mediterranean and Italian cooking.

Make the sauce ahead: the tomato sauce can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. The next day, reheat it, add the fish and continue with the recipe — this saves time and the sauce flavour will have deepened overnight.

Spicy version: add 1 fresh or dried chilli or a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (peperoncino) when sweating the onion — gives a spicy sauce that pairs perfectly with fish.

Fasting character: this dish is 100% fasting-compliant — no milk, eggs or meat. Perfect for all fasts and all fasting days (Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year), except during periods of strict dry fasting (first and last week of Great Lent).