Lemon Fish with Leeks, Pistachios, and Olives

This Lemon Fish with leeks, pistachios, and olives is too easy to make. Add all of the ingredients in a baking dish and roast until perfection. Serve right out of the same vessel you cooked everything in to make a simple dinner perfect for a weeknight or entertaining friends.

When I’m making fish, I love to keep it simple. All in the oven in a baking dish is definitely about the easiest method out there. It makes for an elevated dinner that’s so delicious with just a handful of ingredients.

With this fish, I knew I wanted to try out an ingredient you may not think of to pair it with, pistachios. They’re nutty, rich, buttery, and just so delicious with a tender piece of halibut or salmon. In addition, I’m adding in castelvetrano olives that are meaty and briny and really bring a bright, rich flavor to every bite.

When it comes to picking a type of fish for this recipe, that’s up to you! I recommend a thicker white fish like halibut or cod or something like salmon. That’s what’s so great about an easy roasted fish recipe, you can really customize it to your hearts desire.

Ingredients

Fish:

• Leeks: A fresh and light onion flavor, be sure to throughly wash the leeks in cold water before roasting to remove the grit.
• Lemons: Bright, fresh citrus flavor that’s perfect to pair with fish.
• Fresh thyme: Adds a nice, light herby flavor to the fish and sauce.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Healthy fat for roasting the fish.
• Halibut, cod or salmon: A light, white flaky fish or salmon is ideal for simple flavors.
• Ground coriander: Nice warm flavors but also with a hint of lemon too, it’s great to marry all of the flavors.

Sauce:

• Castelvetrano olives: A briny, meaty olive that’s full of robust flavor and delicious with lemon.
• Pistachios: raw or roasted are best. We love to buy the pistachios that are also shelled as well for ease.
• Parsley: Adds a punch of fresh herb goodness to each bite.

How to Make Lemon Fish with Leeks, Pistachios, and Olives

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
2. Evenly spread the leeks with 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until partially tender.
3. Remove from the oven and add the lemons slices, and thyme sprigs all over the bottom of the baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Pat the fish very dry with paper towels on both sides. Season all over with ground coriander, salt, and pepper. Place the fish fillets on top of the veggies and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
5. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork (this timing may very depending on the thickness of the fish).
6. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large bowl add the olives, pistachios, parsley, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
7. When the fish is finished, place on a platter and spoon over the olive sauce. Serve. 

Tips for Success

• Buy a thick fish filet. Be sure when choosing your type of fish to pick a thick, white fish filet or salmon. You should look for skinless and deboned.
• Use a variety of spices. Try out any sorts of spices in your pantry. I also love cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dry mustard powder.
• Partially roast thicker veggies first. If you have thicker veggies that you are roasting underneath the fish, like carrots, squash, or fennel, just like the leeks you should par-roast these vegetables for a few minutes before topping with the fish and roasting again.
• When in doubt, add herbs. Want a boost of flavor? Just add chopped herbs on top – it’s a simple way to add so much flavor!

Storage

For the fridge: Be sure to place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

We don’t recommend freezing this dish as it will change the texture of the fish.

More Easy Fish Recipes

• Baked White Fish with Artichoke Caponata
• Teriyaki Salmon Bites
• Baked Lemon Sole
• Miso Cod Sheet Pan Dinner