Crispy Fish with Spicy Spanish Tomato Sauce

Preheat a large pan to medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until just sizzling and starting to brown.

Add the tomato paste and the garlic and stir to coat the veggies in the tomato paste. Reduce the heat slightly so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the cherry tomatoes, the white wine, and the canned tomatoes with their juices, breaking up the whole canned tomatoes with your fingers or a wooden spoon.

Add the sugar, and stir to combine together. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes to allow the veggies to cook and the fresh tomatoes to wilt.
Add the olives and stir to combine. Taste the sauce, and add more salt if you’d like. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer while you prepare the fish.

Put the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or plate.

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat with the butter. Spray the fish with cooking spray on both sides and sprinkle them with a dash of salt, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Use your fingers to press the crumbs into the cooking spray coating to form a crust.

When the butter foams and turns slightly brown, add the fish to the skillet. Lightly fry the fish on both sides for 3-5 minutes each side until the breadcrumbs are crispy and the fish is cooked through.

Right before serving, add the sliced banana peppers and the parsley to the tomato sauce. Stir, and taste the sauce once more. I added a splash of the peperoncini liquid to the sauce to add more tang and spice.

To serve, place a piece of fish over a serving of hot white rice. Spoon some veggies and sauce over the fish, then top with extra parsley if you’d like. Serve with extra pickled peppers alongside, too!