Pan Seared Fish with White Wine Tomato Sauce

Make weeknights special with the bright, vibrant, and fresh flavors and decadent texture of tender Pan Seared Fish with White Wine Tomato Sauce. This quick cooking dish comes together with ease making it a winner for any busy night while also being special enough to entertain with.

I love having easy, quick cooking recipes that have the ability to turn any meal into an occasion. From Seared Scallops with Saffron Cream Sauce to this fish Provençal style dish, you don’t need a lot of time or ingredients to make a beautiful meal. Combining the sweet burst of grape tomatoes, sunny pop of white wine and lemon, and buttery, salty bite of Castelvetrano olives, this one skillet dish goes from the stove to table in less than thirty minutes. And since the wine is already open, go ahead and pour yourself a glass while you’re making this!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Process – This dish couldn’t get any easier. Simply sear your fish and then make the quick cooking burst tomato sauce. If you don’t cook a lot of fish, this dish is a great place to start as it requires little prep except for chopping your vegetables, and the pan searing method combined with the light white wine tomato sauce keeps the fish tender and moist.
• Customizable – Use any of your favorite firm white fish for this recipe, from sea bass and halibut to sablefish like I used. You can also swap out some of the ingredients to fit what you have on hand and also your favorite flavor profile.
• Simple Ingredients – Aside from the fish, the ingredients for this dish are incredibly accessible…tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, fresh herbs. All you need is a handful of ingredients to let the pan seared fish shine.

What is the Best Fish for Pan Searing?

Some fish are better suited to grilling, some are ideal for baking, and others beg to have an intimate date with a searing hot cast iron skillet. When it comes to picking the perfect fish for pan searing you have multiple different options. For this type of sauce and also cooking at higher heat, avoid thin filets like tilapia, flounder, or sole. You want a thicker, firm, meaty white fish. Here are some options.

• Sablefish (Black Cod)
• Cod
• Haddock
• Halibut
• Seabass
• Grouper
• Mahi-Mahi

How to Make Pan Seared Fish with White Wine Tomato Sauce

• Season your fish. Pat your fish dry. Season both sides of your fish with salt and pepper and allow it to sit out for 20-30 minutes.
• Heat your skillet and sear the fish. Heat your skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Allow the olive oil to heat through until shimmering. If your fish has skin, place it skin side down first. Allow it to sear for 3-4 minutes or until it easily releases from the pan. You will see the sides begin to turn opaque and white. Flip the fish and allow it to sear for another 3-4 minutes. For the sablefish in this recipe I pulled it a little before 135 degrees to accommodate both carry over cooking, and also warming it up in the sauce. Once your fish is almost cooked through remove it from the pan and allow it to rest.
• Sauté the onions. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions, crushed red pepper flakes, and season with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent, 5-8 minutes.
• Let the tomatoes burst. Add the tomatoes and give them a stir. Let them sit until they begin to slump down and become soft, about 5-8 minutes. Once soft stir in the garlic and thyme and let the garlic cook for one minute.

• Deglaze your pan. Pour in the wine and give everything a good stir, making sure to scrape up the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to a simmer and cook down until reduced by half and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the olives.
• Stir in the herbs and lemon zest. Add the basil and lemon zest and give the sauce a stir. Taste it and see if you need to add any additional salt.
• Warm the fish and serve. Nestle the fish back into the sauce and allow it to warm through. Garnish with additional basil and lemon wedges if desired.

Substitutions & Variations

• Swap the sweet onions for two sliced shallots.
• Change up the olives. Use briny Kalamata or Nicoise olives instead.
• Not a fan of olives? Try adding in drained capers or caper berries.
• Switch up the herbs. Tarragon or flat leaf parsley would also be delicious.
• Instead of grape tomatoes you can use cherry tomatoes. You can also use a colorful variety of heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes if desired.

Equipment

• Heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet
• Fish spatula
• Instant read thermometer

What is Sablefish?

For this recipe I used sablefish sourced from Salmon and Sable. Sablefish, also called black cod and butterfish is common to the Northeast Pacific. This fish is slightly misnamed as it’s not a member of the cod family and more of a charcoal gray color. The reason it is called butterfish is because of its silky, buttery texture and its incredibly high Omega-3 fats.

Sablefish has an incredibly soft, velvety texture and mild but rich flavor. it has extremely large flakes, similar to Chilean sea bass. Because of the overfishing of Chilean sea bass sablefish is an excellent substitute. The combination of its flavor and texture and high Omega-3 fats with low mercury count make this fish a delicacy around the world. If you’ve ever been to a New York City, you may have even had smoked sablefish on top of your bagel! The high fat content makes this fish well suited to the smoking process as it doesn’t dry out.

Tips From the Beach

• Let your fish sit out and come to room temperature. This will give you a better seat on it, as well as let it cook more evenly.
• Remember that fish also has carryover cooking. Most firm, white fish are cooked at between 135-140 degrees. Pull your fish from the pan at around 130 as it will be added back to the warm sauce.
• Pick a dry, light, crisp wine such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Remember that the flavor will concentrate as it cooks down.
• Castelvetrano olives aren’t as salty as other types of olives and have an almost buttery flavor. If you use another type of olive don’t add too much salt to your sauce.
• Make sure your pan and oil are hot before adding the fish. This will not only sear it but also help to prevent it from sticking.
• If your fish seems like it’s sticking to the pan, let it cook for another minute. It will release when it’s ready.
• This recipe can be prepared with skin on or skin off fish. If you’re using skin on fish sear the skin side first so it can get crispy. You can always remove the skin of fish prior to cooking if desired.

Looking for more seafood recipes with the sweet burst of tomatoes? Make sure to check out Scallops with Jammy Tomato Caper Sauce and Grilled Honey Chipotle Salmon.

Pan Seared Fish with White Wine Tomato Sauce

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Make weeknights special with the bright, vibrant, and fresh flavors and decadent texture of tender Pan Seared Fish with White Wine Tomato Sauce.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: Pan Searing
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 firm, white fish filets, such as sablefish, cod, haddock, halibut, or grouper, 4-6 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, drained
• 1/2 cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
• 1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• salt and pepper

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Instructions

1. Pat the fish dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Allow the fish to sit out for 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it heat through until shimmering.
3. Place the fish into the hot skillet. If the fish has skin place it skin side down first. Allow the first side to cook for 3-4 minutes or until it easily releases from the pan. Use a thin spatula to flip it.
4. Let the second side cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the fish is white, opaque, and just beginning to flake. Remove it from the pan when it’s between 130-135 degrees.
5. Add the onions to the pan and season with a pinch of kosher salt and the crushed red pepper flakes. Allow them to cook until tender and translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and stir them to combine. Let them cook until they begin to slump and let out their juices, about 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and thyme and stir. Let cook for 1 minute.
8. Pour in the white wine, making sure to scrape up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to come to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olives.
9. Add the basil and lemon zest to the pan and stir to combine.
10. Nestle the fish into the sauce. Garnish with extra basil and serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Notes

1. Use your favorite firm white fish for this recipe.
2. Castelvetrano olives are incredibly buttery and less salty than other olive varieties but feel free to use your favorite such as Kalamata. You can also substitute with drained and rinsed capers or caper berries. 
3. Use a fish spatula to make it easy to flip the fish.