Travel the Mediterraenan with this collection of our favorite fish recipes to inspire seafood lovers and fish-cooking beginners alike!
Reader Favorite Fish Recipes
Loaded with important nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and Omega-3 fatty acids (which are good for the heart and the brain), fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat and is an essential element in the Mediterranean diet.
Luckily, fish is a versatile ingredient and there are many ways to cook them—grilled, baked, sautéed, or simmered—to ensure they turn out beautifully.
In some recipes, I prefer light flavors, seasoning seafood simply with the classic combination of lemon and garlic (which I love over baked cod) with tender fresh herbs. But hearty types of fish are equally wonderful with more daring combinations like tangy lime and spicy harissa with salmon or the warm flavor of Ras El Hanout in Moroccan fish.
Something else to love about cooking seafood is that most fish dinners can be ready in about 20 minutes, so they’re perfect for weeknights when you want something fast, easy, and healthy. For this reason, I like to prepare any sides or salads ahead of time to serve the fish as soon as it has finished cooking. If you’re open to some fresh ideas for the best fish dishes, you’ll find something tasty here to help you in the kitchen!
Crispy Salmon Bites with Harissa Yogurt Sauce
I love these little fish bites because they make the perfect snack dinner. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside this bite-sized salmon has a little kick from the harissa. Serve it with a colorful Bell Pepper Salad with Mini Sweet Peppers or a cooling Watermelon Salad.
Greek Fish with Tomatoes and Onions (Psari Plaki)
This beautiful dish of tender, tomato-braised fish starts with making a quick tomato and onion sauce in a pan on the stove, then tucking in fish filets to braise in the oven. It’s perfect with some good crusty bread and Greek olive oil, or some rice or barley for soaking up the sauce.
Stuffed Salmon with Spinach, Capers, and Greek Yogurt
You won’t believe how amazing this stuffed salmon is! It’s like a party in your mouth; flaky fish filled with a vibrant mix of spinach, capers, and preserved lemon. Greek yogurt binds the creamy filling together (and adds an extra bit of extra protein). Serve stuffed salmon with lemony Greek potatoes or our recipe for sweet and savory Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf.
Baked Cod Recipe with Lemon and Garlic
Tender, perfectly flaky cod with very little effort! You’ll love the lemon-garlic sauce. You can use this recipe to cook any flaky white fish fillets (such as red snapper and halibut). Serve lemon-garlic cod with crispy broccoli, oven fries, or fattoush salad.
Mediterranean-Style Baked White Fish
This flavorful fish dinner is seasoned with oregano and garlic and a mixture of tomatoes, olives, and red onions. Use any white fish fillet you like: cod, halibut, grouper, and sea bass would all be excellent choices! The fresh tomato and olive flavors of baked white fish pair beautifully with lemon rice, and a big Greek salad or Mediterranean couscous salad.
Baked Red Snapper with Zhoug
It can be easy to overcook thin fillets of tender red snapper in a pan, which is why I love baking them on a bed of lemon slices. The meaty, clean flavor of the fish is wonderful with zhoug, a bright and spicy condiment similar to pesto, but made with cilantro, parsley, and hot green chiles. Cool things off by serving it with something creamy like Creamy Cucumber Salad or Borani Kadoo (Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes with Garlicky Yogurt).
One Skillet Fish Provençal
This easy weeknight dinner recipe is inspired by the Southern French classic, Chicken Provençal. It has a rich tomato sauce with briny kalamta olives, only requires one pan an is ready in 30 mintues. Keep the french theme alive and serve it with homemade baguettes to sop up all the sauce.
Turkish-Style Marinated Salmon
The smoky and spicy lamb kebabs of Southern Turkey inspried this recipe. Rich salmon can handle spice without being overwhelmed, which makes it an ideal match for an overnight marinade with a bright red Turkish red pepper paste (Tatli Biber Salçasi). Enjoy it with a cooling Mediterranean Cucumber Salad and use the leftovers as a replacement for canned tuna in Tuna White Bean Salad with Spinach, Olives, and Basil.
Lemony Dukkah-Crusted Sea Bass with Smashed Peas
Get ready to impress your dinner guests! Sea bass stands up to a fragrant crust of dukkah, a crunchy Egyptian sprinkle of nuts, seeds, and spices. It’s as elegant as something you’d get in a restaurant, especially since it’s served on a bed of parsley and peas, but so easy to put together. It’s a meal all in one.
Moroccan Fish Kofta in a Spicy Harissa Sauce
This spicy North African-style fish kofta recipe is made with boldly seasoned halibut “dumplings” (what else do you call meatballs that aren’t made of meat?) poach gently in in a fiery harissa-tomato sauce with a blend of cozy spices and fresh herbs. Add some rice or couscous, to round out the meal!
Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon
Lemon and olive oil are Mediterraenan essentials! This bright, perfectly cooked salmon is ready in under 20 minutes, and my special technique ensures you get flaky, tender baked salmon every time! Because the salmon cooks so quickly, have your sides ready before it comes out of the oven. Serve this citrusy salmon is over cooked pasta, Greek Lemon Rice or with French Lentil Salad with Cucumber, Bell Pepper, and Fresh Herbs.
Chilean Sea Bass Recipe with Basil Pesto
With just 7 ingredients, you can have a gorgeous fish dinner that packs a Mediterranean flavor punch! Chilean sea bass has a buttery, flaky texture that is perfect with the fresh basil flavor of pesto and sweet roasted tomatoes. If you can’t find Chilean sea bass, any other white fish will work just as well. Serve it with Baked Zucchini with Thyme and Parmesan or Crispy Brussels Sprouts.
Baked Halibut with Lemon and Dill
Need a weeknight dinner as light and bright as Mediterranean sunshine? Try halibut scattered with tart sumac and sauced with fresh lemon and dill. Sweet, meaty halibut has a mild flavor that shines with delicate seasonings and it couldn’t be easier to make! Serve it with Greek Green Bean Salad or Fresh Fennel Orange Salad for more citrus and herb goodness.
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Hi Suzy, I’ve gotta say, I love all your recipes. You know seafood. I have a quick question. I recently purchased from you cream of pistachio and am at a loss on hiw to use it. Could you post some of your recipes using this item? You’re such a creative n good cook, thank you!
Dear Suzy, Thank you for all the fish recipes, which I will thoroughly enjoy, being an part time ex-trawler man; so you can imagine that my freezer is always chock a block with fish of all types. Fish being my main diet. The only fish I wont eat is Tuna, but that is political as you most probably realise. I’m going to enjoy going through your recipes, thank you again.
Regards,
Brian
Hi Suzi, what is your “Show Stopper” dinner party fish recipe?
Ooo! Lobster Tail and Branzino came quickly to mind when you asked this one!
Can i buy the 25+ fish recipes cookbook? I don’t want to print it.
Hi, Jan. Unfortunately we don’t have this article in a published cookbook format.
Your recipes are fail safe.
I have never made a recipe that you have created that doesn’t taste fantastic. I love fish and I love olives like never before.
Absolutely delicious!
Recipe is easy and flavorful as long as you include the olives.
Yummy good
This is the heaven recipe. I will be making my favorite whitefish on grand party of my friends. Just like always I will be ordering my whitefish with whitefish mail order service and will enjoy your delicious recipe.
Are the 25 fish recipes a book that we can buy? I already have your other book on pre-order … absolutely love everything you make, shakshuka has been revelation! Thank you so much!
Hi, Linda. You are very sweet. Unfortunately, I haven’t compiled all of these fish recipes into one single book. My cookbook coming out in September will have a great seafood chapter, though! Thank you so much for already placing an order :).
We’re trying to incorporate more fish recipes into our diet. This list is so helpful! Thank you!
My family has tried so many of these. The baked halibut with veggies is probably our fav. I see some new ones on here I can’t way to make!
That is a super popular one! Hope you can find more to love on this list :).