This easy fish fillet recipe is a little treat from the shores of the Mediterranean in Egypt. Spiced fish fillets cooked in a sauce of fresh tomatoes and peppers. A one-skillet dinner that comes together in 30 minutes!
Most people who are familiar with shakshuka only think of it as the popular North African breakfast–eggs poached in a sauce of fresh tomatoes, peppers and a number of Middle Eastern spices.
But to the people of Port Said and Alexandria, Egypt’s Mediterranean cities, shakshuka is more of a cooking method than in it is a specific dish. There, they also have saucy seafood and fish shakshuka dinners.
The spices I use in this fish fillet recipe are slightly different from what’s in the egg dish; still, the fish fillets are cooked similarly in the spicy fresh tomato sauce, shakshuka-style. And mainly because of its dense, flaky texture, I decided to use cod here.
This light, yet hearty fish fillet dinner is best served in bowls, with lots of the shakshuka sauce and Lebanese rice or your favorite crusty bread, challah or pita.
Here is the step-by-step for today’s fish fillet recipe:
Scroll down for the ingredient list and print-friendly recipe
If you plan to serve this fish fillet with rice, make the Lebanese rice according to this recipe (this step is optional, you can also serve this fish fillet with bread)
In a small bowl, combine the coriander, sumac, cumin, dill and turmeric to make the spice mix. Set aside until needed.
In a large, deep skillet (with a cover like this one) heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onions for 2 minutes then add the garlic and jalapeno. Cook on medium-high, stirring regularly, until fragrant and golden in color, about 2 more minutes.
Now add the tomatoes and only 1/2 of the spice mix (you will use the rest of the spice mix later). Add the tomato paste, lime juice, water, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Bring to a high simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook the tomato mixture for 10 more minutes; stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, season the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper and coat on both sides with the remaining 1/2 of the spice mix.
Gently add the fish fillets to the tomato mixture, nestling the fish pieces nicely in it. Cook on medium-high briefly, then reduce the heat to medium.
Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked through (it should be flaky). Remove from heat and top with the fresh parsley and mint leaves. Serve immediately in bowls with Lebanese rice or your favorite crusty bread.
Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients used in this recipe.
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Mediterranean Fish Fillet Recipe, Shakshuka Style
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An all star Mediterranean fish fillet recipe. Fish fillets prepared shakshuka-style in a sauce of fresh tomatoes, peppers and spices. 30 mins; tutorial
Ingredients
For Lebanese Rice see this recipe
For the Fish Fillet Recipe
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp sumac
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dry dill weed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 large yellow onion (or sweet onion), chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (or 1 green bell pepper if you prefer mild)
- 5 medium ripe tomatoes, diced or chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lime, juice of
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper
- 2 lb cod fillet cut into large 4 to 6-ounce pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Lebanese rice first, according to this recipe (optional)
- In a small bowl, combine the coriander, sumac, cumin, dill and turmeric to make the spice mix. Set aside until needed
- In a large, deep skillet (with a cover) heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onions for 2 minutes then add the garlic and jalapeno. Cook on medium-high, stirring regularly, until fragrant and golden in color, about 2 more minutes.
- Now add the tomatoes and only 1/2 of the spice mix (keeping the remainder of the spice mix for later use). Add the tomato paste, lime juice, water, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a high simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook the tomato mixture for 10 more minutes; stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, season the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper and coat on both sides with the remaining 1/2 of the spice mix.
- Gently add the fish fillets to the tomato mixture, nestling the fish pieces nicely in it. Cook on medium-high briefly, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked through (it should be flaky).
- Remove from heat and top with the fresh parsley and mint leaves. Serve immediately in bowls with Lebanese rice or your favorite crusty bread.
Notes
- You can use 1 green bell pepper in place for the jalapeno for a milder-tasting dish. You can also use a bit of both peppers, if you like.
- Visit Our Shop to browse olive oils and spices used in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Seafood
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Absolutely delish! Easy and fast and very healthy too! What more could you ask of a piece of fish, lol.
Awesome, Jane! So glad you enjoyed it.
This was fantastic thank you!
Awesome, Sue! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious
Awesome, Kat! Glad you liked it!
This recipe was amazing! We used Corvina fillets and c would not have been more pleased. Didn’t have Sumac so we used lemon zest and about 1/4 tsp salt instead. It was heavenly.
Wonderfuly, Cheryl! So glad you all enjoyed it!! !
Very fabulous dish. So much color, so much flavour. I love learning new dishes. This is so different from the same Chinese or Indian dishes I usually cook so thank you for enriching my palete and giving me a new go-to dish.
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Wendy! Thanks for the kind note.
This was delicious. I didn’t have sumac and left it out, but was very yummy – flavorful, a little spicy, fish was flaky. I am thinking about adding some slice green olives the next time.
Awesome, Becky! Thank you so much for trying it!
Very good, the sauce has a different and unusual taste. Fresh parsley and mint finishes it off. Had ours with plain rice which was good for mopping up the sauce. Will definitely make again.
Wonderful, Brian! Thanks for giving it a try!
I made this for the 2nd time tonight. Both my husband and I love it!
Lori, wonderful! I am so happy to hear it.
This was absolutely delicious!!! I used haddock instead of Cod and it turned out great. Thank you!
So great to hear it, Sarah! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Hi,
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! I’ve never used sumac before, but I like trying out new spices. Can’t wait to dig into the leftovers tomorrow.
That’s wonderful, Pressie! So glad you enjoyed it.
Hello
Amazing blog and I look forward to trying some of your recipes..
Can I possibly use tin chopped tomatos for this recipe?
Also a normal red onion?
Thank you
Mini
Hi Mini, welcome to The Mediterranean Dish! Yes, absolutely! You can make these substitutions just fine!
I NEVER leave comments but this dish was just TOO delicious not to comment on! Super easy (although finding sumac proved to be no easy task) to prepare but the end result is bold, delicious flavor! I served it over a brownrice/quinoa/black lentil blend and it was amazing! I could eat a whole loaf of bread with the yummy broth!
Looking forward to lunch leftovers.
This will be a go to cod recipe from now on!
Also, I paired the dish with a Australian red blend and the marriage was perfecto! Thank you for this gem of a recipe
Galina, thank you so much for your kind comment! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. And thanks for sharing your ideas!
Delicious!! I had to make the dish without the Sumac and still turned out tasty! My husband said he would put it up against any restaurant dish out there! 🙂
Deborah, what kind words! Thank you so much for taking the time to share. I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed it. I’m making it again for my own family this weekend!
After nearly 70 years of plain English cooking, I thought I would try spices. This dish was wonderful. I was a little reticent about the amount of spices but the dish was amazing. Fun to prepare and going to be a firm favourite. Thank you.
Hello, Janette! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I am so glad you enjoyed this fish fillet recipe…and that it’s a new favorite! That is so wonderful to hear. Enjoy
Suzy, this is so my kind of preparation. I love how you created lots of flavor, and then, essentially poached the fish in the broth.
Thank you, Peter! Yes…the fish is simply poached in this sauce…huge flavors! Thanks.
Full of flavor!
For sure!! Thank you for stopping in, Florian.