Quick & Easy Fish Recipes for Healthy Weeknight Dinners

Bright, fresh flavor and superior nutrition take center stage in this collection of quick and easy fish recipes perfect for the Mediterranean diet.

Adding fish to your diet when you aren't used to working with it can be intimidating. As a Mediterranean diet food blogger, I’m always looking for ways to make fish dinners easy and accessible for unfamiliar cooks and busy families. It's true that fish is less forgiving that chicken or beef, but it only takes a little bit of practice to master cooking it well.

My advice to anyone trying to work more seafood into their weekly menus is to find a handful of quick and healthy fish recipes that you enjoy and stick to them for a while. Once you get the hang of quick fish preparations, it becomes easier to modify and improvise to add in some variety.

Below I’ve collected 10 healthy fish recipes that take less than 30 minutes. I’ve included a variety of fish types, preparations, and flavors, and vetted them for nutrition and quality. They are all relatively easy to make, and some are even downright simple! Hopefully you'll discover a new way of cooking fish to add to your regular weekly repertoire.

1

Almond and Asiago Crusted Rockfish

This recipe for nut crusted fish is adaptable to any mild white fish, such as tilapia, cod, or snapper. Wild Pacific rockfish is widely available on the West Coast, relatively cheap, and has a light, sweet flavor. It's also high in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Because the filets are relatively thin, they cook in a flash, either on the stovetop or in the oven. The nuts and asiago add richness and crunch to this easy fish recipe and make it appealing for the whole family.

20 minutes total time

Almond and Asiago Crusted Rockfish from Parsley & Parm

2

Haute Healthy Living

Best Mediterranean Salmon Recipe

This healthy Mediterranean salmon recipe caught my eye very early in my search for quick and easy fish recipes. I love using a fresh chopped salsa on top of perfectly cooked fish, and it's a preparation that works particularly well with salmon. This salsa also features three of my favorite Mediterranean diet ingredients: fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta!

30 minutes total time

Best Mediterranean Salmon Recipe from Haute & Healthy Living

3

Beyond Mere Sustenance

Pan-Seared Mexican Fish

The flavors in this pan-seared Mexican fish recipe from Beyond Mere Sustenance are really outstanding, and will work with any mild, firm white fish such as cod, halibut, tilapia, or snapper. It's a bright, fresh, delicious fish recipe that can easily be on your table in less than 30 minutes. Also check out Tamara's really excellent discussion of global flavor profiles, which is linked from her post.

25 minutes total time

Pan-Seared Mexican Fish from Beyond Mere Sustenance

4

Grilled Halibut Skewers with Garlic and Lemon

These Grilled Halibut Skewers are fresh, fast, and packed with flavor. Tender halibut is marinated with lemon, garlic, and herbs, then grilled to juicy perfection—perfect for summer dinners or backyard BBQs. A simple, healthy fish recipe that comes together in minutes.

Get this recipe!

5

The Sifted Field

Fresh Salmon Fillet with Rainbow Swiss Chard and Olives

This healthy fish recipe from The Sifted Field is one of my favorites. I could eat this every week. It's Whole 30-compliant and an absolute nutritional powerhouse, with healthy fats from the salmon and olives, vitamins and minerals from the chard, and plenty of fiber from the artichokes. I don't think a Mediterranean diet recipe gets much better than that! I might give the 15-minute time estimate a little side-eye based on my experience making this dish, but not by enough to raise a stink.

15 minutes total time

Fresh Salmon Fillet with Rainbow Swiss Chard and Olives from The Sifted Field

6

Veena Azmanov

Chraime - Moroccan Fish in Tomato Sauce

I'm a big fan of Veena Azmanov's food blog. She and I are in full agreement that Moroccan fish cuisine is one of the best, and this recipe for Moroccan Fish in Tomato Sauce, known as Chraime, is proof of that. It has enough flavor to seem elaborate, but it's actually deceptively simple to make. And it'll work with almost any white fish: rockfish, tilapia, halibut, sea bass, and more.

30 minutes total time

Chraime - Moroccan Fish in Tomato Sauce from Veena Azmanov

7

Sear-Roasted Alaskan Halibut with Macadamia Nut Pesto from Parsley & Parm

I originally developed this recipe as a vehicle for my macadamia nut pesto, which is one of my favorite things ever, but it's the cooking technique I want to highlight here. Giving thicker filets a quick sear on the stovetop and finishing them in the oven is the perfect way to cook firm white fish such as cod or sea bass. And it works great with any pesto - homemade or store-bought.

25 minutes total time

Sear-Roasted Alaskan Halibut with Macadamia Nut Pesto

8

Discover Spain Today

Spanish Fried Anchovies - Boquerones Fritos al Limón

Don't let the "fried" part of this dish scare you off, these little guys are lightly fried in olive oil, and a little goes a long way. If you can find fresh anchovies...I recently found some at Whole Foods Market...they are so darn healthy and delicious fresh that you won't believe your taste buds. Fresh sardines will work too. This simple fish recipe calls for dredging in flour; you can choose to dredge your fish in cornstarch, arrowroot, or rice flour instead. Serve these little guys with a salad such as my loaded Greek salad for a healthy, delicious Mediterranean diet meal.

20 minutes total time

Spanish Fried Anchovies from Discover Spain Today

9

My Chef's Apron

Easy and Healthy Garlic Shrimp

I used leeks harvest from my garden to make this recipe last week, and oh my gosh it was so delicious! It was bright and healthy and full of flavor, and the whole family enjoyed it. I served it over some whole grain spaghetti, but no one needed it...this healthy shrimp recipe was delicious all by itself. And it clocks in at 25 minutes of time on the recipe card, but it was closer to 20 minutes when I made it. That's hard to beat!

25 minutes total time

Easy and Healthy Garlic Shrimp at My Chef's Apron

10

Two Healthy Kitchens

Seared Salmon with Basil Tzatziki

I do sometimes like a creamy topping on my salmon, and since giving up my favorite sour cream and dill preparation, yogurt-based tzatziki has been my go-to. This gem of a recipe uses basil instead of mint in the tzatziki, and it's a really nice way to switch it up to go with fish. The write-up also features what I think is a good description of how to sear salmon properly, and is worth a read if you are new to cooking fish. It's an excellent easy fish recipe for beginning cooks.

12 minutes total time

Seared Salmon with Basil Tzatziki from Two Healthy Kitchens

11

Everything Bagel Cobb Salad with Smoked Salmon

I wanted to include one salad recipe in this roundup for anyone looking for a "prep and assemble" type meal. Using smoked or tinned fish is maybe the quickest and easiest way to get some fish into your weekly diet, and this Everything Bagel Cobb Salad features smoked salmon prominently. The cream cheese balls are YUM, but I leave them out most of the time. This is a family favorite all summer, even Mr. Parsley & Parm requests this one!

20 minutes total time

Everything Bagel Cobb Salad with Smoked Salmon from Parsley & Parm

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