Italian Fish with Salsa is a simple, healthy fish recipe that’s light yet full of flavour! Called Pesce Con Salsa Piccante in Italian, this is a complete nutritious meal that’s only 420 calories – including the bread which is a MUST for mopping up the juices.
This is a pan fried fish recipe so is best made with thin fish fillets. Use your fish of choice – anything suitable for cooking on the stove!
Fish with Salsa
The first official RecipeTin LITE recipe!!! Recipes that fall into this category are healthy meals that are less than 500 calories for the complete meal. The majority of the dinner meals I share are less than 500 calories a serving but that’s usually excluding the sides like rice or bread that it is served with.
So RecipeTin LITE recipes will be quite different in that they are less than 500 calories for the entire plate of food you see – sides and all.
Healthy – without compromising on flavour. No hunting down unusual ingredients, no substituting real sugar with artificial sugar, no package mixes, no plastic diet cheese.
This is a quick healthy fish recipe that’s full of fresh flavours!
This Fish with Salsa is fresh, healthy, light yet full of flavour. The sort of meal I make when I’m short on time – a quick pan fried fish fillet topped with some sort of salsa on top – a spicy Italian tomato salsa in this case.
Salsa for Fish
This healthy fish recipe is topped with tomato salsa, and the juices from the tomato forms the dressing. We season the tomato with salt then leave it for a good 20 minutes or so before spooning it over the fish. This serves 2 purposes:
-
The tomato pieces soften so they sort of “meld” together better with the soft flesh of the fish; and
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It creates a juice which is used as the sauce for the fish, rather than using loads and loads of olive oil.
A quick, healthy fish recipe
Excluding the time the salsa is set aside to sweat, this Fish with Salsa is a super fast meal – 5 minutes of prep, 10 minutes to cook.
So this is low on calories – 420 calories for this entire plate including 2 slices of bread (which are essential for mopping up the juices!) – healthy, light, bursting with fresh flavour and super quick to prepare.
Ticks all my boxes! – Nagi x
PS If you want to get fancy, call this Pesce Con Salsa Piccante which is Italian for “Fish with Spicy Salsa”!
PPS. For another great, light Italian fish dish try Acqua Pazza (Italian-style poached fish).
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Fish with Spicy Salsa
Ingredients
Spicy Salsa
- 2 ripe tomatoes , deseeded and diced (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp fresh chili , finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup , packed, basil leaves
Fish
- 6 slices eggplant , 1cm / 1/2" thick
- 2 x 150g / 5oz fish fillets (I used perch)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp oil
To Serve
- 4 slices sourdough bread , toasted
Instructions
- Combine the Spicy Salsa ingredients except basil in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes to sweat so juices seep and the tomatoes soften.
- Season eggplant and fish generously with salt and pepper. Then dust fish with flour, shaking off excess.
- Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a non stick skillet over high heat. Add the eggplant and cook each side until charred and softened - about 2 minutes first side, 1 1/2 minutes second side. Remove onto a plate.
- Heat remaining oil. Add fish and cook until light golden on both sides, pressing down with an egg flip to brown it evenly.
- Tear basil leaves with your hands and toss through the salsa.
- To serve, place 3 eggplants on each plate, top with a piece of fish and spoon over the salsa + juices. Serve with toasted sourdough on the side.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
PS You can find all the RecipeTin LITE recipe by clicking here. It’s in the Recipe Index under Courses > LITE Meals. I tagged my existing recipes that are <500 calories per serving (sides and all) and was quite pleasantly surprised that I had a decent selection! 🙂
Really loved the flavours but nagi pls how do I stop the fish from sticking and falling apart? I’ve got plenty of flour and oil!
Hi Philippa, you need oil and a high heat – don’t move the fish until it’s crisp (moving it before it’s done will cause it to stick and break) N x
Hi Nagi, you recommend not peeling off the filet, I suppose? Thanks in advance
Sooo YUM!!! And RecipeTin Lite is everything I’ve been dreaming of! Keep inspiring us with all these amazing recipes Nagi!
Wahoo! Thanks Rachael!
hi, may I ask what other fish is suitable if I cannot find Perch please? Thank you!
Hi Jan! Pretty much any fish fillet will work with this! 🙂
This was so easy with AMAZING flavors Nagi! Hope you don`t mind but I included it in a blog post (giving you credit of course & linking back) You can see it here if you`d like. http://www.chileandsalt.com/16-seafood-recipes-you-need-now/ Thanks for all the great recipes & keep them coming!
Thanks Tez! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, and I’m honoured to be included on your blog, thank you! N x
This looks easy and delicious! I love to make fish when I’m in a hurry. It’s great that this works with different kinds of fish!
Thanks Sarah!! Totally my typical fast midweek meal. You know those days when you really don’t have any time!!
Made a “tortilla version” of this tonight for dinner, and it was so , so, sooo good and super tasteful!
I love the combination of the white fish, aubergines, tomatoes, basil and soft tortilla pancake. Although, I did use red wine vinegar instead of olive oil and omitted the chili.
I will totally make this for dinner again SOON!
Oooh! I’m so glad you liked this Patricia, thank you SO MUCH for letting me know!!! <3 N x
I love the idea of LITE recipes 🙂 Will look forward to them on your blog! This fish looks amazing– great summer flavors.
Thanks so much Michelle!!! This is totally my type of fast fresh midweek cooking – I love it! 🙂 N x
I was actually thinking this looked so good before I even realised it was a lite dish! Great job.
I certainly don’t think this is too “boring”! 🙂 I love that you’re sharing a simple recipe that is achievable for a midweek cook! 🙂
Thanks Sarah! This is definitely a “boring” typical midweek dinner for me!!! 🙂