This easy baked white fish is one of our favorite weeknight meals in the summer—super quick, minimal cleanup, feels like but also filling.

Which fish should you use?

Any mild white fish works great! Sea bass, cod, haddock… whatever you can get your hands on. Berke and I have been using levrek, the “European sea bass” (also known as branzino). I also like having a bag of frozen fish from the grocery store in my freezer just in case and that works just as well.

Technically, this counts as a sheet-pan dinner since everything (except the optional pasta) is baked on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. If you want a little extra on the side, I love serving this with angel hair pasta.

Here’s how it goes:

Start by thawing your frozen spinach. I like to toss mine into a colander and rinse it with warm water until soft. While that’s draining, thinly slice a red onion and halve some cherry tomatoes. Spread them out evenly on your baking sheet.

Next, lay the thawed fish fillets on top of the veggies.

Slice enough lemons to place at least two slices per piece of fish—more or less depending on how much you like lemon! Lay those right on top of the fillets.

Now squeeze out the excess moisture from your spinach and scatter it around the pan. Drizzle everything with a good olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and that’s it! Into the oven it goes.

Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 15–20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. My go-to frozen fillets are pretty thin, so they’re usually done right around the 15-minute mark.

While the fish bakes, bring a pot of water to boil and cook your pasta of choice.

If you’re short on time, you’re done! A plate of baked white fish and veggies is light and fresh.

Optional pasta side:

If you want to take an extra step, let’s make that pasta side a little more exciting:

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté a tablespoon of olive oil. Add your cooked angel hair (or whatever pasta you like) along with two cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Then toss in about half of the red onion, tomatoes, and spinach from the sheet pan. Stir everything together until it’s warmed through, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Summery Baked White Fish

Recipe by Carly

Ingredients

4 white fish fillets (cod, haddock, etc.), thawed if frozen
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1–2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil (plus 1 tbsp for pasta, optional)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: Pasta (angel hair or gemelli work well)

Directions

Prep the spinach and veggies: Place frozen spinach in a colander and rinse under warm water until thawed. Let it drain while you slice the red onion and halve the cherry tomatoes. Spread the onions and tomatoes evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Add the fish: Lay the fish fillets over the vegetables. Top each piece with a couple slices of lemon.
Scatter the spinach: Squeeze out any remaining moisture from the spinach, then scatter it around the baking sheet.
Drizzle and season: Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15–20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. If having pasta on the side, you can boil your pasta while the fish is baking.
Optional pasta side: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add thinly sliced garlic and your cooked pasta. Then stir in about half of the red onion, tomatoes, and spinach from the sheet pan. If the pasta looks dry, add some olive oil and pasta water. Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!