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Say hello to your new family favorite — Skillet Orzo and Feta Fish!
This simple Skillet Orzo and Feta Fish is perfect for a weeknight dinner, but impressive enough for entertaining. After some quick sautéing of shallots, garlic, tomatoes, and a lovely blend of spices, the orzo is par-cooked on the stove and then finished in the oven with your fish! Giving you just enough time to get the kitchen cleaned up, set the table, or even get a simple salad prepared to eat with your dinner.
The flavors here are just fantastic. From the acidity of the balsamic and tomatoes. to the tanginess and creaminess the feta provides, this recipe is sure to be a hit. And while my kids have gotten used to a little bit of heat with red pepper flakes, you can easily omit this when cooking and just serve your own plate with red pepper flakes to make this even more family-friendly.
Regardless, this dinner is that perfect balance of easy to cook, easy to clean while also feeling elevated and elegant to impress you and your whomever you may be enjoying dinner with. Whether you are making it on a busy weeknight, or while entertaining guests– you just can’t go wrong!
For more skillet dinner ideas using feta, try these recipes!
One-Pan Spanakopita-Inspired Skillet
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Herbs
Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Skillet Orzo and Feta Fish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ cup halved and thinly sliced shallot about 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes 1 pint
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 ¼ cup orzo
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley more for garnish
- Four 6-ounce filets of white flakey fish (I use halibut or cod)
- ½ cup feta divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large oven-safe deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and balsamic. Continue to cook, stirring, until the spices are toasted and the balsamic has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the orzo to your skillet and stir until well combined. Add the broth, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon of the oregano, and parsley. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring until the pasta just begins to absorb some of the liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add ¼ cup of feta, stir once more to combine.
- Nestle the fish into the orzo. Drizzle each fillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil then season the filets with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Divide the remaining 1 tablespoon of oregano over the fillets.
- Place onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup feta. Place back into the oven and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork and the pasta is tender.
- Remove from oven and gently fluff the orzo with a fork. Top with additional parsley and serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
Dairy free suggestions? This looks so good!
Hi! you can omit the feta to keep it DF! 🙂
Yo! This was the bomb dot com! I am typically the sous chef for my husband and I did this one ALL ON MY OWN! He came upstairs and said “this place smells amazing!” He told me he is not a Feta man so I added some crumbled Goat Cheese — it was SO good!!! Because has anyone ever said there’s too much cheese? Nope. This one is going on rotation when we need to spice it up for entertaining. Alex as I was cooking this I thought — how does this woman come up with these recipes?!? Thank you for doing this and making me a wife rock-star this evening in our home 😀
Would I be able to use frozen cod over fresh?
Do you think you could use shrimp with the same cook time?
This will be delightful with shrimp– but shrimp should only take 8-10 mins for cook time. I would put it in the oven and let it bake for 8-10 minutes w/o the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in a little olive oil salt and pepper, and top it over the orzo. Pop back into the oven for 8-10, or until done. Hope this helps!! Enjoy!!
Been dying to make this, but was nervous my boys wouldn’t eat the fish. Followed the recipe, but used Spinach and Feta Chicken Sausage instead. I browned them a little and then cut in half lengthwise and nestled them into the orzo for the oven portion. It was fantastic! Definitely want to try with the fish too when I am not cooking for kiddos!
Another hit from Defined Dish!! This meal was a crowd pleaser. The orzo was so flavorful and delicious!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for commenting!
I made this with arborio rice instead of orzo because I’m gluten free. The flavors in the rice were fantastic! I’m not usually a fan of white fish so I would probably want to use salmon next time, but it was way better than expected, and my husband and kiddos totally loved it.
Delicious!!! Seasoning is perfect.
This recipe is awesome – and it’s even better with a handful of spinach and a teaspoon of fish sauce added at the same time as the broth. Love that the cook time always works out perfectly for the pasta and fish, and the flavor combo is delicious!
Looks delicious! Would the cooking time change if we halved the recipe?
it should be approximately the same cook time, I would just be sure to use a smaller skillet so the orzo doesn’t dry out in too big of a pan!
This is absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare. My husband said this was the best fish he has ever had.