Simple Fish Recipes

Fish has some fabulous health benefits, so it's a shame that many people haven't integrated it into their lives. It has profuse health benefits to eat it, first it has been shown to improve our moods due to its high Vitamin D content. Along with that, it helps to maintain strong bones, good eye-sight, and a well functioning brain. Now, one might ask how is there such a dramatic difference, health wise between fish and other meats. This is known to be from the fact that algae is rife in our oceans. This has very high nutritional values. And yes, the fish eat it.


There are many misconceptions about the flexibility of cooking seafood. It is seen as boring and too strong a taste for most. But this is not the case if you cook it with a bit of extra thought. There are endless possibilities when it comes to cooking fish.

Fish recipes can be broken down into two categories. Red fish and White fish. Red fish is high in Omega oils and Vitamins C and D. Whilst White Fish is high in protein and anti-oxidants. White fish has a distinctively different taste to that of the Red fishes. This may sound confusing but people often say that white fish has a more 'fishy smell'. In saying this red fish has strong fish characteristics too and is hard to be mistaken for another.

Most fish shops will have a large variety so make sure to have a good browse. Don't be afraid to ask your fish monger any questions regarding what farm or harbour it came from. They also offer many useful services, such as gutting whole fish, skinning fillets, pin boning (pulling out the bones one by one) and portioning.

No need to ask the monger if the fish is fresh, you will only get one answer at all times. So you will need to examine the fish yourself. The signs of unfresh fish are, its smell, white fish tends to look very dry and can also go quite patchy, red fish tends to break up and can lose its strong red colour. Don't get confused between red fish losing its colour and red fish which just has lost it's colour due to contact with water (this will look more transparent).

A final tip. Fish on the bone (whole fish) will usually have a bit more flavour. Next time you're in your fish shop and there is an Asian next to you, wait to see what he purchases. 9 times in 10 it will be some whole fish.

When cooking Fish it is essential there is sufficient seasoning in your kitchen. The most popular ones from my experience as a fish monger are paprika, herbs, sea-salt and pepper. Marinades are also a vital ingredient to have for an alternative taste (Goes very well with salmon).

Rapeseed oil has become very popular in recent years. This is not surprising as it is a much healthier product than olive oil. Again it contains the Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids along with a much lower fat content of saturated fats. High concentrates of saturated fats have been shown to slow down brain processing speeds.

If you have never cooked fish before it is really quite easy to do. The standard baking procedure would be to:

1. Sprinkle some seasoning and lemon juice (certainly not a must),
2. Wrap in tin foil,
3. 180 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish

Enjoy and remember never underestimate the cooking possibilities of fish.

Click here to find more useful information on fish, including some great recipes

Here are some great sites for some fish recipes