Easy Fish Recipes – NYT Cooking

When you’re wandering the grocery store aisles at 5 p.m., trying to figure out what to make for dinner, it’s easy to overlook fish in favor of a more familiar option. (Chicken, anyone?) But fish is just as quick, versatile and exciting as any other protein, and with the right preparation, maybe even more so. So whether you’re abstaining from meat for Lent, transitioning to a pescatarian diet or just want to get rid of those fillets at the back of your freezer, save these recipes that make fish easy to love.

Craig Lee for The New York Times

Sam Sifton’s fish tacos are a joy to cook, assemble and eat, messily but deliciously. Corn tortillas, crunchy cabbage and a mayonnaise-and-sour-cream crema create a variety of flavors and textures. And if any members of your party are sensitive to spice, just leave out the jalapeño and chipotle peppers.

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

This 30-minute weeknight-fancy recipe from Kay Chun is perfect for sushi lovers who don’t want to prepare raw fish at home. An easy unagi sauce does double duty as a glaze for the salmon and a sauce for serving. Best of all, there is no special technique required to produce something that feels like you got it at a restaurant.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.

Maybe you’ve heard of marry me chicken, a TikTok-viral recipe that claims to ring wedding bells for whoever makes it, or marry me beans, a spicy beans and greens recipe that Reddit users raved about. Consider adding Eric Kim’s crispy-skinned fish version to the rotation. Inspired by the pink sauces found in classic Italian restaurants, he keeps it simple, with a base of sun-dried tomato and yellow onion to keep the clean seafood taste.

Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Zainab Shah’s weeknight fish tikka scores very high on what one reader calls, “the ease to WOW factor scale.” Marinate any white fish in a mix of yogurt and garam masala, chile powder, coriander, turmeric, ginger and garlic, then roast over a bed of spinach, which takes on the fish’s flavors.

Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne.

This 30-minute banger from Lidey Heuck is so much more than the sum of its parts. Roast supermarket cherry tomatoes with shallots, sherry vinegar, lemon zest and a drizzle of honey, then spoon over white fish. It tastes like summer, but you can enjoy it all year round.

Photograph by Christopher Testani

I have this Melissa Clark recipe saved in my New York Times Cooking recipe box in a folder called “All-Stars.” The first time I made it, I had my doubts because there’s only a few tablespoons of liquid from fish sauce, soy sauce and lime juice. But something truly magical happens in the confines of that device, and the result is a flavor-packed dish that my family and I devoured. As Melissa and many readers note, this also works in a skillet; it just comes out slightly less caramelized.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Fresh salmon is expensive. But this nostalgic, budget-friendly recipe from Lidey Heuck puts canned salmon to good use. Seasoned with smoked paprika, mustard, lemon juice and scallions, these patties are delicious served with a squeeze of lemon or homemade tartar sauce. They reheat like a dream, so stash some in the freezer for up to a month.

Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This Melissa Clark recipe is full of thoughtful gems, like toasting panko with thyme, dredging the fish in mustard and preheating the baking pan for extra-crunchy potatoes. The result? Elevated fish sticks that will excite both adults and kids — and that come out ultracrispy without frying.

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This Japanese teppanyaki classic is streamlined here for the home cook, calling for a deep, lidded skillet instead of a flat griddle. It’s an amazing clean-out-the-fridge meal, as Mia Leimkuhler notes, and would be good with whatever vegetables are taking up space in your fridge. Don’t skimp on the delicious miso, butter and sugar mixture that makes this recipe unforgettable: Spread it on the salmon and the vegetables, and make extra to put on toast, baked potatoes or pasta.

Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

As the French know, wine, cream and mushrooms make almost anything taste good, and in this recipe, Melissa Clark applies the combination to delicate white fish with magnificent results. Tomatoes and bacon give it extra oomph, and the resulting sauce is so good, you’ll want to splurge on good bread for sopping it up.

Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This lively Ali Slagle recipe has it all: brightness from grapefruit, ginger and dill; butteriness from roasted fish and avocado; crunchiness from radishes. It’s supremely easy but tastes fancy, making it the ideal dinner party dish, according to my colleague Becky Hughes.

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Chances are you have a can of tuna lying around, waiting to be made into a spectacular pantry meal. This pasta from Melissa Clark follows a dead-simple formula that you can adapt to whatever you have on hand: Choose an allium (onion, garlic or scallions); a vegetable (like zucchini, peppers or eggplants); a chile paste (like gochujang, harissa, ají amarillo or Calabrian) and a pasta. Stir in flaked tuna at the end to prevent it from getting tough and lets it shine in all its fishy glory.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

This is the only way I grew up eating fish: steamed whole, with sputtering hot oil drizzled over a bed of cilantro, green onions, ginger and soy. It can seem intimidating if you’re not used to cooking whole fish, but in reality it couldn’t be simpler: Just clean the fish (or buy it precleaned), and steam it in whatever vessel you have. (If you don’t have a steaming rack, J. Kenji López-Alt recommends using tuna cans with the tops and bottoms removed.) And if the idea of cooking whole fish is still scary, try it with fillets first. It’s almost as delicious.

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

When a recipe yields a full, balanced meal, complete with protein and side, in just 20 minutes, that’s when you should commit it to heart. This one from Ali Slagle does just that, thanks to some clever multitasking. And the pairing of the crisp salmon with the buttery, garlicky pasta makes it even easier to love. Be sure to use angel hair pasta for the most satisfying result.

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