Perfect Fish Recipes
School yourself in our favorite seafood recipes
Summer is the sea-son for seafood.
Too hot for a heavy meal? Keep things cool with tuna apple tartare or pickled herring. If you're fishing for a main dish, look no further than pan-seared salmon with zucchini pesto, or revel in the flavors of striped bass with tomatillo salsa verde.
Sound good? Stay with us for more light, fresh recipes—after all, there's more than one fish in the sea.
Pan-Seared Salmon with Zucchini Pisto
Pan-Seared Salmon with Zucchini Pisto
Pisto, the Spanish version of ratatouille, showcases the best of summer: tomatoes, onion, garlic, zucchini, peppers and herbs. Serve it with pan-seared salmon, then save any leftovers to top fried eggs in the morning (see the recipe).
Striped Bass with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Striped Bass with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
The trick to cooking fish at home? Avoid having to flip the fillets altogether by starting it on the stovetop and finishing it in the oven. We also suggest making extra salsa verde to serve with anything and everything (see the recipe).
Pickled Herring
Pickled Herring
Ever had Swedish fish like this? Serve this chilled pickled herring with a pile of crisp rye breads and glasses of aquavit for a lovely nod to the traditional Midsummer Night's feast (see the recipe).
Cured Salmon
Cured Salmon
To make "smoked" salmon in the comfort of your own home, all you need is salt, sugar, Lapsang tea and your refrigerator. It'll need to sit overnight, but your morning-after bagel feast make it worth the time (see the recipe).
Sea Bass and "Salad" in Parchment
Sea Bass and "Salad" in Parchment
Take whatever greens you have on hand, tomatoes and any type of flaky fish and bake in parchment paper for a meal that looks like more work than it was: You'll be ready to eat in less than 15 minutes (see the recipe).
Tuna Apple Tartare
Tuna Apple Tartare
Sweet on tuna tartare to begin with? Us, too. Brighten it up with the addition of Granny Smith apples—and don't be shy with the Sriracha (see the recipe).
Sardine Tartine
Sardine Tartine
Whole sardines can be polarizing, but we enjoy the drama of leaving the sardines whole atop this open-faced sandwich. You can also easily slip the fillets off if that floats your boat (see the recipe).
Chile Garlic Broiled Salmon with Ginger Yogurt
Chile Garlic Broiled Salmon with Ginger Yogurt
Broiled salmon got a bad rap during the '80s—too many banquet hall dinners, we suppose. Bring it back en vogue with this spicy-sweet recipe (see the recipe).
Whole Fish
Whole Fish
Cooking a whole fish sounds intimidating—but it shouldn't. We've broken down how to do it right: Just make sure you have a well-oiled grill basket and a big ol' fresh bass (see the recipe).
Grilled Swordfish with Eggplant and Pepper Salad
Grilled Swordfish with Eggplant and Pepper Salad
May we suggest a visit to Flay-vortown? Grill master Bobby Flay gave us the recipe for a hearty grilled stunner that will please carnivores and pescatarians alike (see the recipe).
Salt-Crusted Branzino
Salt-Crusted Branzino
It's perfectly acceptable to be salty about this dish. Cook the fish slowly so it doesn't dry out and top it with a spoonful of orange and lemon vinaigrette (see the recipe).
Cobia Escabeche
Cobia Escabeche
While these mild fillets roast in the over, they absorb all the wonderful flavors of blistered cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, fennel, herbs and more. You could substitute mackerel, oysters or large scallops in this versatile recipe (see the recipe).