Tomatoes are in regular rotation at our summer and fall dinner table. When I can find large heirloom tomatoes at farmers’ markets, I gladly buy them. For our backyard garden, however, cherry tomatoes are tops. Our yard is tiny and our summers are short in Colorado, so we’ve leaned towards growing cherry tomatoes that can thrive and produce abundantly before the cold sets in.
This year we are growing three varieties of cherry tomatoes—yellow plum, Sungold, and he-Juliet. Happily, they each come in a different hue, bringing a range of color to our meals.
A winning recipe
Every summer I look for new recipes using cherry tomatoes or return to old favorites to make the most of a season’s gift. Years ago, I ran across a recipe in Bon Appétit magazine for a simple fish dish that used fresh cherry tomatoes. It appeared in the “Too Busy to Cook?” column of the May 2002 issue and was submitted by Candida Sportiello, a chef and home cook in Ventotene, Italy, an island off the coast of Naples. Candida’s recipe called for pan-frying tilapia filets in olive oil, then creating a sauce of fresh tomatoes, olives, parsley, garlic, and red pepper. It was simple and tasty, a great combination.
From frying pan to sheet pan
I made Candida’s recipe each summer for years and then started wondering if I couldn’t translate it into a sheet pan dinner. No worry about flipping the filets and tearing them, no messy stove cleanup, no sautéed fish smell hovering around the kitchen. I experimented with different kinds of mild, white fish. This time I used cod filets, but sole, orange roughy, and red snapper work as well.
As I experimented, I reversed Candida’s cooking order, handling the tomato sauce first, then putting the fish atop.
Raw cherry tomato halves bake with olive oil, salt, and black pepper for a while. They collapse and caramelize and grow in flavor. Then minced garlic and red pepper flakes go into the tomatoes and bake briefly, lending a punch of seasoning. Last, parsley and kalamata olives join the tomato mixture, and the fish bakes on top of it all.
It is ready in 45 minutes and has a great sauce that marries tomatoes with briny kalamatas, almost like a tomato-infused tapenade. You simply spoon this flavorful sauce over the fish filets once everything has baked.
The mild fish moves to a higher level with the sauce that has sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes, saltiness from the olives, freshness from the parsley, and a kick of red pepper flakes. Along with some new potatoes and a salad, you have a great meal.
While I associate this recipe with summer, the availability of cherry tomatoes year-round in grocery stores makes it an all-season dish. 
If you don’t care for olives, you can leave them out or substitute roasted red bell peppers or another soft vegetable for them. But this sauce will always be a celebration of tomatoes.
Sheet Pan Fish with Spicy Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Sunnyside Cook
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided, see below
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (I used crushed Aleppo chiles)
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
- 2 mild white fish filets such as cod, orange roughy, tilapia, or red snapper
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Additional chopped parsley leaves for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Arrange the cherry tomato halves on the lined sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the tomatoes so that the oil is distributed among them evenly. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the tomatoes out on the sheet pan so that they’re not overlapping each other. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring the tomatoes halfway through the cooking time.
- While the tomatoes bake, season the fish filets on both sides with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the garlic and crushed red pepper to the tomato mixture. Stir to distribute evenly and return the sheet pan to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the olives and parsley to the tomato mixture. Stir to combine, then spread the tomato mixture out a bit, creating a platform of sorts to place the fish filets on. Place the fish filets on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle the fish with 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Place each fish filet on a serving plate. Stir the sauce and taste to see if it needs more salt or black pepper. Spoon half of the tomato mixture onto each filet. Garnish with additional parsley, if desired.
The colors and flavors of this seasonal dish pop!
I am putting in my order right now for you to cook this when you come to visit.
I will be happy to cook this dish for you!