Baked Fish With Olives and Ginger

By Yasmin Fahr

Updated March 29, 2024

Baked Fish With Olives and Ginger — Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(619)
Notes: Read community notes

Set in a shallow pool of briny, gingery oil, mild fish fillets cook effortlessly on a sheet pan, layered with bold lemon, olives and capers, similar to a deconstructed tapenade. The mixture is brightened even further with the addition of grated ginger, which provides a zingy contrast to the salty, meaty olives. (But this recipe is flexible: Sliced garlic or anchovies would also work nicely, taking a more savory turn.) Nestling the delicate fish in oil helps it stay moist in the oven, and creates a no-effort pan sauce that is best served with bread, to soak up every delicious drop.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

½cup olive oil
1cup pitted green olives (preferably Castelvetrano), roughly chopped
1tablespoon drained capers
1lemon, halved, ½ thinly sliced
4(6-ounce) skinless mild white fish fillets (such as cod, hake or halibut), each about 1-inch thick
Salt and black pepper
1(½-inch) piece fresh (unpeeled) ginger, finely grated
¼teaspoon crushed red pepper
2packed tablespoons torn or chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves and tender stems

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed sheet pan or baking dish, combine the olive oil, olives, capers and lemon slices. Turn the fish fillets in the oil to coat and space them evenly apart. Season the exposed parts with salt, then the grated ginger, rubbing it in. Top each fillet with a grind or two of black pepper and the crushed red pepper.
Step 2
Cover with foil and bake until the center of each fish fillet is opaque and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. (Thinner fillets will cook more quickly.)
Step 3
Carefully remove the foil, then squeeze the remaining lemon half over everything. Spoon the olive and olive oil mixture over the fish. Garnish with the parsley and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

619 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Allen McC3 months ago

Yum. Really lovely, delicate and flavorful. Added some asparagus and thin sliced potatoes. Hake was perfect for this recipe.

CuriousPam3 months ago

Before putting into the oven, I added a can of Cannellini beans. Delicious addition. Added some heft to the meal without overpowering the fish.

Robin Sheldon3 months ago

left out the ginger and added diced red potatoes. Perfect!

Martha3 months ago

Pretty good. I left out the ginger and added garlic.

Annette3 months ago

Made exactly as written using halibut, only portions for 3 people. Even used the green Castelvetrano olives (seemed very similar to other green olives, even approximate same amount of sodium). Sodium amount was enough with just capers olives, so no added salt. Baked 16 minutes, rested 2minutes. Delicious, added the nice pan juices to plate with our wild rice and broccoli.

Gayle W.3 months ago

This was delicious! Used tilapia filets and cooked for about 12 minutes. Added a little minced garlic on the fish and scattered green beans on the pan. The lemon juice and cilantro at the end are key. Will definitely at this to the rotation!

Guy M3 months ago

Works well with cod. Served with garlicky green beans and wild basmati rice. Worth saving the cooking juices to pour over the rice.

scott m3 months ago

Delicious and easy, did swordfish instead.

Jennyb3 months ago

Excellent! Made it exactly as written and served with sides of rice and fresh spinach steamed. Perhaps next time, I'll use slightly more ginger.

Dawn3 months ago

Double ginger, add 2 TBSP of chopped parsley and 1 large clove of garlic, pressed.

Wendy3 months ago

Made just as directed and have to say this was not so good. The ginger and briney flavors did not work for us at all. I cook from NYTcooking all the time with great results but I will not be making this again. I don’t even have any ideas for how I could salvage this one. Sorry

Vicki Cohn3 months ago

This was absolutely delicious--and easy. I used cod, and very large capers that were grown by a friend in Cyprus. Served with Israeli couscous. Lovely recipe.

Tory4 days ago

Loved this! I had a nice filet of halibut and this was perfect for showcasing the fish. Nice flavors together but it didn't overpower the star of the show. Will definitely make again.

Cindy3 weeks ago

Instead of ginger use garlic

Leslie3 weeks ago

Easy and delicious. Used cod and added grape tomatoes and thinly sliced sweet peppers.

TiminPS3 weeks ago

Excellent. As per comments, I added cannellini beans to the olive mix. Also, used preserved lemons instead of fresh slices. I used gochugaru pepper in the beans and Aleppo pepper on the fish. Strewed broccolini on top and had a perfect, all-in-one, halibut sheet pan supper.

BR3 weeks ago

I've made this with sea bass and it was fantastic. Do you think it would work with salmon?

Cook less1 month ago

Cooking time was way too long for me and fish ended up way over done. Would recommend cooking half the time and checking the temperature

Kate1 month ago

Super delicious and so easy! Used a full fillet of haddock and quartered it, which was lovely— the thicker center pieces yield a firmer, sweet bite, and the tail ends are thinner and a little more tender. Garnished with dill, as opposed to parsley or cilantro, and flaky sea salt. The dill really added to the brightness of the dish! Would definitely cook again.

DD1 month ago

Great. I made with Halibut. Company worthy.

juli1 month ago

Delicious. I, too, swapped the ginger for garlic. I added cannellini beans as well, which I think really added to the dish. I wouldn't make this again without them.

MagpieJen1 month ago

Added broccoli florets to pan. Took fish out after 10 minutes and left broccoli in with olives for another 10-13 minutes until broccoli was lightly browned and a bit crisp . Fish could use more acid; topped with Mina mild harissa, could've used a squeeze of lemon. Loved the roasted lemon slices, though. Leave in oven until soft and brown. I don't think the ginger added anything- maybe use more and large mince or shreds.

Magpie Jen1 month ago

Delicious! Added cut up broccoli to pan, took fish out after 10 minutes and left broccoli in with olives/lemon for another 10-13 min. Fish could use more acid; topped with Mina mild harissa-could've used a squeeze of lemon. Loved the roasted lemon slices, though. Leave them in oven with the broccoli until soft and browned. I don't think the ginger added anything- maybe use more and large mince or shreds.

Patches2 months ago

Delicious, even though I grabbed green peppercorns in brine off of the refrigerator shelf instead of the capers. Doy. We liked it so much though that we'll try it again within a week or two, following recipe to the letter.

tory2 months ago

I have made this twice and the second time I also added a can of cannellini beans to the sheet pan before baking. Also used a little grated garlic with the ginger on top of the fish fillets. Used halibut. I didn't cover mine with foil either time. I forgot the first time and we liked it so much I decided it didn't need it! Real crowd pleaser with my family. Anything with olives and capers is always welcome at our house.

rogerluhn2 months ago

I made it as written, including Castelvitrano olives, but added a can of drained, rinsed to the pan. Really good.

Marcia2 months ago

Made as directed and was disappointed. The ginger overwhelmed the dish and it was way too oily. If I try it again I’ll cut the oil by half and substitute garlic for the ginger.

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