Roman-Style Fish with Ratatouille

This Roman-Style Fish with Ratatouille, known as Bacalao a la Romana con Pisto, is what classic Spanish food is all about. We’re talking a ton of flavors, easy to make, and all done in about 30 minutes. Serve it next to a crunchy baguette and a bottle of Spanish red wine from Jumilla for a complete meal.

To make this recipe, I used cod fillets I bought frozen and thawed out. You can also use fresh cod. As well as any other type of firm white fish. Such as tilapia, white sea bass, or even hake, which is known as merluza in Spain.

To make the ratatouille, known as pisto in Spain, I used a combination of onions, garlic, red bell pepper, zucchini, and canned tomatoes. You can mix it up and use whatever vegetables you like or whatever you have on hand.

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: It took me about 3 to 4 minutes per side to fully cook the pieces of cod. Of course, it might take you less or more. Just keep an eye on the fish to not overcook it. To make the aioli, I used a mortar & pestle. But you can also use a food processor, stand-up blender, or a NutriBullet.

For the saffron in this recipe, choose whole threads from Golden Saffron so you can measure the amount called for.

Prepare the ratatouille vegetables before starting the fish. If zucchini is the only vegetable you have on hand, try Spanish zucchini as a simpler side.

How to Make Roman-Style Fish with Ratatouille

1. Start by making the Ratatouille, heat a fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
2. In the meantime, roughly chop the onion, thinly slice the garlic and cut the red bell pepper and zucchini into small bite-sized pieces
3. Add the chopped ingredients (except for the zucchini) into the hot fry pan, mix together, then mix every minute so everything evenly sautés, after 4 minutes and the onion is translucent, add in the zucchini, mix together, then once again mix every minute
4. After cooking the zucchini for about 4 minutes and all the ingredients are lightly sautéed, add in the canned diced tomatoes and season with sea salt, black pepper and a dash of white sugar, mix together and then lower to a low-medium heat
5. While the ratatouille is simmering, start cooking the fish, heat a separate fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
6. While the oil is heating, add the cod fillets over some paper towels and pat dry, then season with sea salt & black pepper on both sides, then cut each fillet into two evenly sized pieces, for a total of 6 pieces of fish

7. Add the flour into a shallow bowl and crack the eggs into a separate shallow bowl, season with sea salt & black pepper and whisk the eggs together, then coat each piece of fish, first in the flour and then into the egg wash
8. Add the pieces of dish into the hot fry pan, all in a single layer and evenly spaced out, fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the fish is golden and just cooked through, then transfer into a dish with paper towels
9. While the fish is resting, make the saffron mayo aioli, add in the cloves of garlic into a mortar, along with the saffron and a pinch of sea salt, using a pestle pound down on the ingredients until you get a paste-like texture, then add in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil and season with sea salt & black pepper, whisk together
10. After simmering the vegetables for 10 to 15 minutes and all the flavors have developed, remove from the heat
11. Transfer the vegetables into serving dishes, then top off with the cod fillets, a dollop of the saffron mayo aioli and some chopped parsley, enjoy!

Serve the fish as soon as it is ready, with the vegetables spooned alongside. For a quicker sauce based on garlic and citrus, make saffron fish with lemon.