Greek Main Courses
Psari Plaki Recipe (Greek Baked Fish with Vegetables)
Ψάρι πλακί PSAH-ree plah-KEE · Psari plaki
In short
Psari plaki is a whole fish baked slowly over a bed of onion, tomato, garlic and potato, all cooked together in one dish until the fish is tender and the vegetables have absorbed its juices. It is the classic Greek Sunday way of cooking a whole fish without a grill.
Plaki describes a whole family of Greek dishes baked slowly over a bed of vegetables, and psari plaki, whole fish cooked this way, is one of its most classic and reliable forms. Onion, garlic, tomato and potato go into the dish first and cook down together, and the fish bakes directly on top, absorbing their juices as it cooks rather than being treated separately.
This is genuinely forgiving, one-dish cooking, well suited to a whole fish that might otherwise feel intimidating to prepare, since the oven does almost all the work and there is no hard sear or precise timing to manage the way grilling a whole fish demands.
A firm white fish that holds together well through a longer bake, such as sea bream, sea bass, or a similar whole fish, is the right choice here, since a very delicate fillet would simply fall apart over the cooking time this dish wants.
Key preparation steps
- Build a base of onion, garlic, tomato and potato in a baking dish.
- Part-cook the vegetable base before the fish goes in.
- Lay the whole fish on top and bake until just cooked through.
- Rest briefly before serving straight from the dish.
Building the vegetable base
Slice onion, potato and tomato, and toss with garlic, olive oil and a generous amount of dried oregano in the base of a large baking dish. Bake this base alone for twenty minutes before the fish goes anywhere near it, which gives the potato and onion a head start, since they need considerably longer to cook through than the fish itself will.
Adding the fish
Once the vegetables have softened and begun to colour, nestle the whole, cleaned fish on top, season it well, and drizzle with a little more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Return to the oven and bake until the fish flakes easily and is just cooked through, which for a mid-sized whole fish takes twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Serving
Rest for a few minutes before serving, straight from the baking dish, spooning the vegetables and their juices alongside the fish. This is a complete meal in one dish, needing little beyond good bread to round it out.
Tips from my kitchen
Give the vegetables a head start
Potato and onion need considerably longer to cook through than the fish. Baking them alone first lets everything finish together.
Choose a firm whole fish
Sea bream, sea bass or similar hold together well through this baking time. A very delicate fillet would fall apart.
Do not overbake the fish
Check at 25 minutes. Fish continues cooking slightly as it rests, so it is better to pull it just before it looks fully done.
Psari Plaki Recipe (Greek Baked Fish with Vegetables)
Ψάρι πλακί · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 25m
- Cook
- 50m
- Total
- 1h 15m
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 190C fan 170C.
- Toss the sliced potato, onion, tomato and garlic with half the olive oil and half the oregano in a large baking dish. Season well.
- Bake the vegetable base alone for 20 minutes.
- Season the fish inside and out, then nestle it on top of the vegetables.
- Drizzle the fish with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice, and scatter with the remaining oregano.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and is just cooked through.
- Rest for 5 minutes, then serve straight from the dish, with the vegetables and pan juices spooned alongside, and extra lemon wedges.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 412
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Sat fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Psari plaki
What does plaki mean?
It describes a wide family of Greek dishes baked slowly over a bed of vegetables, most often onion, tomato, garlic and potato, with fish or beans cooked on top or mixed through.
Can you use fish fillets instead of a whole fish?
Yes, though whole fish is traditional and holds together better through the baking time. If using fillets, reduce the fish's cooking time considerably, since fillets cook much faster than a whole fish.
Is psari plaki suitable for Lent?
Yes, fish is permitted on many fasting days under Orthodox practice, and this dish, built otherwise from vegetables and olive oil, fits well within Lenten cooking.
