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Pan-Seared Fish in White Wine Tomato Basil Sauce

You’ll love this easy recipe for pan-seared fish with white wine tomato basil sauce! The tomato sauce is brimming with flavor thanks to minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and white wine. Make the sauce, pan fry the fillets until they flake easily with a fork, then pour the sauce over the white fish. Ready in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the White Wine Tomato Basil Sauce:
2 tablespoons (28ml) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 large cloves of garlic finely minced
350grams juicy cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/4 cup (57ml) dry white wine *add an extra 1/4 cup for a saucier sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil finely chopped
2 tablespoons (28ml) fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (more to taste)

For the fish:
2 tablespoons (28ml) olive oil
700grams fresh white fish cut into 4 fillets
Salt and pepper

Method

For the Sauce:
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant but not browned.

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and blistering, but still hold their shape, about 8 to 12 minutes.
Add in the white wine, stir, and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Stir in the basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, sugar, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Transfer the sauce into a bowl and set aside until needed.

For the fish:
Heat oil in a large nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. Pat the cod dry with paper towels. Then season both sides of fish with salt and pepper.

Place fish in the oil and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fish over and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes, OR until it's cooked through.

Pour the white wine tomato basil sauce over the fish, let the sauce warm up for a minute, then remove from heat and and serve at once.