Summary
Halibut fillets can easily dry out when seared on the stovetop or broiled a minute too long in the oven, so to keep the fish moist in this recipe, we bake it in a spicy sauce. We switched up the usual pasta served alongside puttanesca with crunchy crostini instead. First toast the bread, then make the sauce by adding anchovies, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, capers, and olives to sautéed onions and cooking everything until the flavors blend. Put the sauce in a baking dish, nestle the fish in the sauce, and bake for a quick 15 minutes. Serve the halibut and sauce over the crostini with a crunchy green salad.
Special equipment: You’ll need a pastry brush for this recipe.
Game plan: The sauce can be prepared through step 2, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 4 days before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. The bread can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
For the crostini:
- 12 ounces crusty Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce and fish:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
- 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 pounds center-cut skinless halibut fillets, cut into 6 equal pieces