Looking to change up your weeknight dinners? We’re ALL about chicken (seriously, we love it grilled, baked, fried…it truly is “what’s for dinner” most nights), but when you want to shake things up, turn to the other top lean protein: fish! Fish pairs with tons of flavors and cuisines, is easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for guests, and has lots of healthy nutrients (like vitamin D and omega-3s). And did we mention most of these recipes are ready in less than 45 minutes? Whether you’re a pro at cooking fish or are new to it and need some tips and tricks, we’ve got a recipe for you. Check out our best fish recipes for ideas—you might just find a new dinnertime favorite.
When you think of a weeknight dinner-friendly fish, we bet you imagine salmon. It’s readily available, easy to cook, and pairs with a ton of recipes (pasta, anyone?). We’ve included a few of our top recipes, like our Tuscan butter salmon, our blackened salmon tacos, and our jalapeño citrus salmon, but check out our top salmon recipes and grilled salmon recipes too. Another popular option is cod—probably second in line to salmon in terms of availability, but first for versatility. Try it in our miso butter cod, our Nashville hot fish & chips, and our soba cod and mushroom soup to see what we mean.
Since salmon kind of hogs the fish spotlight, we’re excited to shine a light on some fish you might be less familiar with too, like flounder, red snapper, or mahi mahi. They’re just as easy to cook as salmon or cod, but can add more flavor and intrigue to your plate. If you’re new to cooking with fish, we’ve got some more basic recipes, like our garlicky lemon baked tilapia, our baked chilean sea bass, and our baked catfish that’ll get you well acquainted with it. If you’re looking for something a little more creative, try our grilled tuna steak with scallion sauce, our Arctic char with pistachio gremolata, or our striped bass with herb-olive salsa. Take inspiration from these recipes, and then branch out by adding your own favorite sauces and condiments to whatever fish you like—trust us, you kind of can’t go wrong.
Want more seafood inspiration? Check out our favorite weeknight seafood dinners and our top grilled seafood recipes too.
Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon
A longtime favorite of Delish readers, this savory-sweet salmon never disappoints. Hot tip: Let the fillets cook undisturbed for a few minutes. That, and super-high heat, is how you get that delicious crust here.
Get the Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon recipe.
Fried Fish Sandwich
This might be a controversial thing to say, but here it goes: Fried fish sandwiches are better than fried chicken sandwiches. Chicken sandwiches can definitely deliver on the flavor, but due to the more substantial bite to chicken thigh and breast, it can be a little too much to swallow...and chew. Enter flakey, delicate fish!
Get the Fried Fish Sandwich recipe.
Garlicky Lemon Mahi Mahi
If you haven’t tried mahi mahi, you really need to get on that. It’s a firm, mild fish that when cooked is beautifully flaky and tender. Our favorite way to prep it? Cook it on the stove with some fresh asparagus, and then smother it in a lemony butter sauce.
Get the Garlicky Lemon Mahi Mahi recipe.
Garlicky Lemon Baked Tilapia
Tilapia has a very mild fish taste and is a great way to get those non-fish eaters to love it. We cooked ours in plenty of butter, lemon, and garlic to make it bright and fresh and easy for everyone to enjoy. Baking it requires very little effort with zero risk of the fish sticking to your skillet or grill. A win win!
Get the Garlicky Lemon Baked Tilapia recipe.
Beer-Battered Fish
There's nothing super crazy about this recipe, but when you do it right, it's absolutely perfect. For optimal crispiness, check out our tips. Our top one? Since you've already heated up some oil, throw in a batch of French fries to complete the meal. To make them closer to the authentic British style "chips", just cut them a little bit thicker and shorter.
Get the Beer-Battered Fish recipe.
Ahi Poke Bowls
This is our favorite combo of ingredients, but you can feel free to swap in your favorites or whatever you’ve got in the fridge. The key is to aim for color and variety, but the world really is your oyster...er, tuna!
Get the Ahi Poke Bowls recipe.
Pineapple Baked Salmon
Giving the salmon a quick broil at the end of cooking gives the marinade a chance to caramelize—it's too good. Just make sure to keep a close eye on it so you don't overcook the salmon! Two to three minutes is all you need under a hot broiler.
Get the Pineapple Baked Salmon recipe.
Perfect Fish Tacos
The fish—we use cod, but any flaky variety, like tilapia, works—marinates in a mixture of lime juice, chili powder, and cumin that will become your standard. But the real gem of this recipe is the cabbage slaw—don't skip it. It takes just a few minutes to toss together and its brightness is the perfect condiment to the spiced cod.
Get the Perfect Fish Tacos recipe.
Arctic Char with Pistachio Gremolata
This is the kind of recipe that immediately becomes a house favorite. That's because it's easy yet elegant (AKA worthy of dinner parties), it comes together in 30 minutes, and it teaches the foundations of good cooking techniques. (Like how to cook skin-on fish so it gets crispy, not soggy, and how to create an easy herb gremolata to top proteins like fish, chicken, and steak. 😍)
One-Pan Tuna Pasta
This recipe is a bit of a riff on pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives. But instead of sitting over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, we used sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste that, when combined with pasta water, is transformed into a luscious sauce–and it’s all made in one pan!
Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.
Miso Butter Cod
This is an easy and healthy dinner that's ready in just 40 minutes. The cod and bok choy roast together, keeping things simple, but don't worry—this fish is flavor-packed. The miso butter gets a little umami kick from sriracha, honey, garlic, and ginger. Yum!
Get the Miso Butter Cod recipe.
Spicy Tuna Roll
Using canned tuna is already pretty sacrilegious to traditional sushi, so we’re obviously not going for an authentic vibe here. But using properly made sushi rice—correct rice-to-water ratio, correct technique, and adequate seasoning—will make your time assembling this roll a lot easier and your end results a lot more delicious.
Get the Spicy Tuna Roll recipe.
Whole Roasted Trout
Trout's delicate flavor is the perfect match for citrus and herbs, which is why we love to roast it whole, filling it with all our favorite aromatics. Encasing the fish in foil steams the fish, trapping in all that delicious, buttery jus.
Get the Whole Roasted Trout recipe.
Southern-Fried Catfish Katsu
Somewhere between Japanese chicken katsu and Southern-style fried catfish lies this delightfully comforting and hearty dinner. Flaky, buttermilk-brined catfish is accompanied by a crunchy slaw (in place of katsu’s standard shredded cabbage) and some white rice. To finish, drizzle with tartar and katsu sauce.
Get the Southern-Fried Catfish Katsu recipe.
Grilled Fish
People are always scared to grill fish because they fear it sticking to the grill. The trick is to make sure your grill is really hot and you'll have no problem!
Get the Grilled Fish recipe.
Grilled Red Snapper
If you're really paranoid about this gorgeous red fish sticking to your grill, make sure to cook over high heat and don't touch the snapper until its skin is crispy. You could also cook over a few slices of lemon or onion to provide a protective layer. Not only will this ensure no stuck bits, but it will also add some flavor to your fish.
Get the Grilled Red Snapper recipe.
Nashville Hot Fish And Chips
Fish and chips meet Nashville-style fried chicken! You could skip making your own fries and buy a bag of frozen, but we love a chance to use the cold oil method for French fries. Plus, you already have to bust out the oil for frying the fish, so it feels worth it to make your own here.
Get the Nashville Hot Fish And Chips recipe.
Tuscan Butter Salmon
We love everything Tuscan butter. We've put it on gnocchi, mushrooms, shrimp, and now salmon. There's a reason they are all some of our most popular recipes of all time. The tomato-and-basil cream sauce with Parmesan is SO decadent and packed with umami. If we could take a bath in it, we probably would. 😈
Get the Tuscan Butter Salmon recipe.
How To Cook Salmon Steaks
You can pan fry, bake, or grill salmon steaks. We love pan-frying them in a skillet because they take only 10 minutes to cook.
Get the Salmon Steaks recipe.
Pan-Fried Salmon
This is a super simple version, so feel free to switch up the flavors. Try swapping limes for lemons and cilantro for dill. Now you've got a Latin-inspired salmon that would be perfect served atop cilantro-lime rice!
Get the Pan-Fried Salmon recipe.
