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30 Fast Recipes for Fish

30 Fast Recipes for Fish

By Food & Wine

Updated June 04, 2019

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Credit: © Con Poulos

From poached salmon with cucumber raita to easy fried-fish tacos, these recipes are all ready in one hour or less.

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Norwegian Fish Cakes with Dill Mayonnaise

Credit: © John Kernick

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Baking powder is the secret to the airy texture of these crispy, fluffy fish cakes.

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Seared Snapper with Granny Smith, Strawberry, and Basil Salsa

Credit: Justin Walker

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Seared snapper and a crisp, fresh salsa may seem an unlikely match for a lush Oregon Pinot Noir, but James Briscione, author of The Flavor Matrix, says their affinity goes to a molecular level: The wine has notes of rose, of which apples are a relative. The lighter strawberry notes in the wine are equally matched with fresh strawberries in the salsa.

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Salmon Steaks with Curried Fennel-Wine Sauce

Credit: © Quentin Bacon

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A copper pan works especially well here because the fennel is cooked until silky over long, low heat. F&W’s Marcia Kiesel serves it in a curry-laced wine sauce over salmon.

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Casserole-Baked Halibut with Leeks and Carrots

Credit: © David Malosh

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“Halibut is one fish that roasts up really nicely,” says Melissa Perello, who cooks the firm-fleshed fish on top of vegetables in a casserole. Because this dish is so simple and ingredient-driven, be sure to make it with the very best olive oil.

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Grilled Striped Bass with Indian-Spiced Tomato Salad

Credit: ANTONIS ACHILLEOS

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This summery grilled bass with ginger-spiced tomato salad is a favorite of chef Floyd Cardoz, who is an avid fisherman.

F&W's Summer Grilling Guide

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Grilled Swordfish with Lima-Bean-and-Herb Butter

Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne

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Lee Woolver uses lima beans to make a green butter for fish. For a neat presentation, roll the herbed butter in plastic wrap into a cylinder and refrigerate until firm. Slice off rounds of butter as you need them.

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Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce

Credit: © Deirdre Rooney

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In Vietnam, palate-cleansing ginger is typically served with rich foods like duck. Here, a pungent ginger dipping sauce is paired with salmon, which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

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Mahimahi with Sage Garlic Chips

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Thin slices of garlic cooked in olive oil make a double contribution to this dish: The flavorful oil is used for basting the fish, and the garlic “chips” are sprinkled over the finished dish as a crunchy topping.

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Orange and Fennel Roasted Cod

Credit: Photo © Danielle Tsi

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Fennel lovers get a triple treat with these cod fillets: The fish is anointed with a fennel-seed marinade, roasted on a bed of fennel bulbs, and then sprinkled with chopped fennel fronds before serving.

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Grilled Mackerel with Lardo, Avocado and Jalapeño on Toast

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Thin slices of lardo (Italian cured back fat) are the key to this luscious dish from chefs Erik Anderson and Josh Habiger.

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Pan-Seared Trout with Serrano Ham and Chile-Garlic Oil

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“The Spanish ham keeps the fish from drying out, basting it with its inimitable fat,” says Alex Raij.

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Roast Salmon with Couscous Crust

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Marcia Kiesel used to crust salmon with bread crumbs, but she created this clever alternative as a way to use up leftover cooked couscous. She now prefers the couscous because it holds its shape and delivers a much more satisfying crunch.

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Salmon with Curried Spinach

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A good choice for a dinner party, this dish looks as if you’ve gone to some trouble when in fact it’s really easy. And everybody likes salmon.

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Japanese-Style Trout with Dashi

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Grace Parisi’s Japanese-style trout is glazed in the same sweet and salty sauce that’s served with unagi (eel) at sushi bars.

Video: How to Keep Fish From Sticking

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Salmon Carpaccio with Lemon Aioli and Pork Rind Crumble

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Using just a few ingredients, Top Chef winner Paul Qui creates a genius take on salmon carpaccio, topping it with a crunchy pork rind and rye crumble.

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Poached Salmon with Cucumber Raita

Credit: KAREN MORDECHAI

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Gently simmering salmon in a flavorful white-wine broth is a classic cooking method that gives the fish a delicious flavor and a delicate texture. Serve this hot or at room temperature. Raita, the cooling condiment served in India, makes a superb sauce.

Great Brunch Ideas from F&W

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Fried-Fish Reuben Tacos

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A cross between a fish taco and a Reuben sandwich, this fun dish features fried flounder wrapped in a flour tortilla with Jarlsberg cheese and Russian dressing.

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Crispy Monkfish with Capers

Credit: © Frances Janisch

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This is Daniel Boulud’s take on Wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet. He lightens the dish by making it with thinly pounded monkfish fillets, breaded on only one side. To simplify, slice the fillets thinly instead of pounding them.

Video: Mario Batali's Monkfish alla Diavola

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Rio Grande Trout with Riesling

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Chef Kevin Graham rolls up trout fillets and poaches them in a delicate white-wine broth flavored with juniper berries and enriched with a little butter. Like salmon, mackerel and sardines, trout is an oil-rich, heart-healthy fish. It's also an excellent source of iron, selenium and vitamin B12.

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Snapper with Spicy Crab-and-Andouille Sauce

Credit: © Tina Rupp

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John Folse learned all about Cajun ingredients while growing up in a trapper’s cabin in St. James Parish, Louisiana.

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Crunchy Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce

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Grace Parisi dredges cod strips in flour and potato flakes to create crunchy fish sticks, which she serves with a chunky sun-dried-tomato tartar sauce.

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Whole Grilled Fish with Crispy Garlic and Red Chiles

Credit: ANSON SMART

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Pete Evans grills whole fish in banana leaves with soy, sherry and ginger.

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Bacon-Wrapped Tuna Steaks with Frisée and Avocado Salad

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Katie Sparks likes to treat tuna steaks like beef. Here, she wraps them in bacon as she would a beef tenderloin, which not only adds a subtle smoky flavor to the fish but also keeps it moist.

Video: How to Buy Fish

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Creamy Indian-Spiced Halibut Curry

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Vikram Sunderam makes his own spice blend with six ingredients, including green and black cardamom, cloves and mace. Home cooks can substitute garam masala, the Indian spice blend that includes many of the spices Sunderam uses, to season this rich, creamy, deeply flavored dish.

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Crispy Fish with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

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Most Chinese-takeout sweet-and-sour sauces are bright red, gluey and sugary. Grace Parisi’s version is light as well as a little spicy, which allows the fresh, briny flavor of the crispy fish to come through.

Comfort Food Classics from F&W

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Cumin-Fennel Rubbed Salmon with Fennel-Parsley Salad

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Rather than pan-roasting individual pieces of salmon, F&W’s Grace Parisi prefers to cook a large fillet to keep the fish moist.

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Grilled Sardines with Mint and Almonds

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Andrew Zimmern loves the terrific combination of almonds, garlic, mint, cilantro and raisins, which is perfect on strong sardines.

More Great Recipes from Andrew Zimmern

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Bluefish with Grape Leaves

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To keep fillets intact, chef Anita Lo wraps them in briny grape leaves—a tasty combination.

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Oil-Poached Tuna with Fennel and Orange

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In this clever one-pot dish, Grace Parisi poaches fennel, shallots and orange zest in extra-virgin olive oil. She then cooks a tuna steak in that oil, making the fish incredibly moist and flavorful.Slideshow:Great One-Pot Meals

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Snapper with Black Beans and Bok Choy

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The secret ingredient in the tasty sauce here is rosé, which combines perfectly with the classic Chinese flavors in this dish.

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30 Fast Recipes for Fish

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Norwegian Fish Cakes with Dill Mayonnaise

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2 of 30

Seared Snapper with Granny Smith, Strawberry, and Basil Salsa

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Salmon Steaks with Curried Fennel-Wine Sauce

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Casserole-Baked Halibut with Leeks and Carrots

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Grilled Striped Bass with Indian-Spiced Tomato Salad

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Grilled Swordfish with Lima-Bean-and-Herb Butter

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Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce

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Mahimahi with Sage Garlic Chips

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Orange and Fennel Roasted Cod

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10 of 30

Grilled Mackerel with Lardo, Avocado and Jalapeño on Toast

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11 of 30

Pan-Seared Trout with Serrano Ham and Chile-Garlic Oil

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Roast Salmon with Couscous Crust

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Salmon with Curried Spinach

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Japanese-Style Trout with Dashi

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Salmon Carpaccio with Lemon Aioli and Pork Rind Crumble

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Poached Salmon with Cucumber Raita

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Fried-Fish Reuben Tacos

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Crispy Monkfish with Capers

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Rio Grande Trout with Riesling

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Snapper with Spicy Crab-and-Andouille Sauce

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Crunchy Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce

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Whole Grilled Fish with Crispy Garlic and Red Chiles

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Bacon-Wrapped Tuna Steaks with Frisée and Avocado Salad

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Creamy Indian-Spiced Halibut Curry

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Crispy Fish with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

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Cumin-Fennel Rubbed Salmon with Fennel-Parsley Salad

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