46 tasty tips for cooking fish perfectly

Fish made easy

An excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals, fish is an essential ingredient for a healthy and balanced diet. You should aim to eat two portions a week, one of which should be an oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. Whether you're looking for weekday inspiration, fancy a new dish or you just want to feel more confident in your fish cooking, follow our tips, tricks and recipes for perfect results every time.

Read on to discover 46 new ways to improve your fish cooking skills, counting down to the most valuable tip of the lot.

We've chosen our ranking based on the usefulness and ease of each tip, as well as on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

46. Don't be intimidated

Cooking fish takes many of us out of our kitchen comfort zones. The trick is to be organised if you want to come out on top. Fish cooks quickly, so read the recipe through carefully, weigh out and prepare all your ingredients and you'll be ready to go. Begin with an easy, foolproof recipe like our fish pie with kippers, which is great for feeding a crowd.

Get the recipe for fish pie with kippers here

45. Use your nose

Really fresh fish should smell of the sea and smoked fish should have a pleasant, smoky smell. If there's a whiff of fishiness or ammonia, avoid at all costs. Ask your fishmonger about the catch of the day to help you buy the freshest fish possible. If you don't have a conveniently located fishmonger, there are some great suppliers offering online and delivery services so you can get all kinds of fish and seafood straight to your door.

44. Buy the best you can afford

Everyone's budget is different but don't skimp on good fish if you can afford to buy it. Reputable fishmongers are the best places to shop for fish – they’ll have experts who can advise on line-caught and sustainable options. Use your senses, including sight, smell and touch, to judge the quality of fish when you're making your choice. Whole, fresh fish should be stiff rather than limp and both whole and filleted fish should not feel flabby but firm to the touch. A pungent, fishy smell implies old produce. If you’re buying whole fish, look for clear, bright eyes which, along with bright red gills, are indicators of freshness.

43. Check for bones

Often when you buy a whole fillet of fish, particularly salmon or cod, there will be pin bones left in the fish. These are easily removed with a strong pair of tweezers or small pliers. Just run your fingers up and down the fillet to locate them, then remove in the same direction that the bones are facing.

42. Check for doneness

There are a few ways to check that fish is cooked through. Towards the end of cooking, gently press it – it should feel firm with little give. You can also cut into the thickest part of the fish and pull back the flesh – if it’s opaque and flaky, it’s ready. If you're still a little nervous about knowing when your fish is cooked, try our recipe for a smoky bean and monkfish stew first. It will only take a few minutes for the fish to cook and it will stay moist if you go a little over. If monkfish is too expensive, hake also works really well here.

Get the recipe for smoky bean and monkfish stew here

41. Make use of frozen fish

Frozen fish is fine to use if you can't get fresh and is good to have on standby in the freezer for midweek meals. You can cook it straight from the freezer but it will benefit from being thawed in the fridge beforehand. It should be frozen hard with no sign of thawing to ensure it's safe. The packaging should be intact and you should check for signs of freezer burn – look for any white, dry patches that indicate it's not good to use. See just how good frozen seafood can be with our recipe for garlic pepper butter prawns.

Get the recipe for garlic pepper butter prawns here

40. Love the skin your fish is in

For pan-frying or grilling, leave the skin on the fish. It's good to eat if it's nice and crisp. Even if it's not your thing, you can easily remove it in one piece once it's cooked. Crisp salmon skin works really well in our recipe for pan-fried Cajun salmon, the spicy marinade combining perfectly with a quinoa and sweetcorn salad – and it's healthy too.

Get the recipe for pan-fried Cajun salmon here

39. Use baking paper to prevent sticking

A crispy skin on a tender fish fillet is a thing of beauty – the only problem is that it can be hard to stop it sticking to the pan. If you want to avoid scraping scaly bits off your cookware, try this viral TikTok tip. Heat some oil in your pan and coat a small rectangle of baking paper in the fat before placing it in with your fish on top, skin-side down. The skin should still crisp up, but the paper will prevent sticking and mess.

38. Keep it simple

The best fish dishes aren't overcomplicated. Fillets of cod or salmon are delicious simply baked in a hot oven for around 15 minutes, with a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs added at the end. Our quick and easy pan-fried salmon with a pine nut, olive and caper salsa is a perfect midweek supper, which takes only 40 minutes from start to finish.

Get the recipe for pan-fried salmon with a pine nut, olive and caper salsa here

37. Brush with butter or oil to retain moisture

Fish is prone to drying out, so it’s important to keep it moist. Apart from avoiding overcooking it, brushing fish with butter or oil when baking or roasting is a smart move. When cooking fish on its own in the oven, it can also be helpful to place some foil on top – also brushed with oil or melted butter. Stuffing your fish keeps it moist, too.

36. Use big flavours

Meaty fish, such as tuna and swordfish, can take on big, punchy, sharp flavours. A drizzle of soy sauce, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of chilli flakes will take a simple fillet to the next level. They also work well with Mediterranean ingredients. Our recipe for tuna with a vegetable vinaigrette is a treat, with olives, sherry vinegar and capers.

Get the recipe for tuna with a vegetable vinaigrette here

35. Keep it juicy

The culinary term 'en papillote' simply means 'in a parcel'. Fillets of fish are wrapped in a baking parchment paper bag with various herbs and aromatics and the fish steams inside. It's a very quick and easy method, and once you are confident, you can vary the herbs and spices to your taste. Start with our recipe for cod baked with coriander, tomatoes and garlic.

Get the recipe for cod baked with coriander, tomatoes and garlic here

34. Master a fish pie

Let's be honest – a great fish pie is hard to beat. Kids love it and it's wonderful comfort food. You can use any combination of fish you like, but try to include some smoked fish, such as haddock, to add a richer flavour. You don't even need to pre-cook the fish as it will cook in the sauce as it heats up. Try our recipe with salmon, prawns and smoked haddock. Just serve with buttered peas.

Get the recipe for fish pie here

33. Upgrade to a lighter fish pie

This recipe shows you can have a fish pie without the creamy sauce and buttered mash, but with all the flavour. Plus, there's the added crunch of crisp filo pastry as a topping. Milk and the natural juices from cooking the fish, leeks and onions are thickened to make the sauce, which coats the prawns, cod and smoked haddock, with the addition of frozen peas. So simple, yet so tasty.

Get the recipe for filo fish pie here

32. Fire up the grill

It's worth investing in a fish grilling basket for smaller fish such as sardines and mackerel. Super fresh fish like this are at their best grilled. They take just a few minutes a side, oiled well with a sprinkling of sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Perfect summer food. So get grilling with our easy barbecued mackerel recipe.

Get the recipe for barbecued mackerel here

31. Cook a fish dinner that's ready in 20 minutes

One of the joys of cooking with fish is that it's so speedy. Our Middle Eastern–style recipe for roasted cod with a coriander crust certainly packs a punch with all its flavours. Cod fillets are coated with an aromatic spice mix and fresh coriander, then topped with a fresh bay leaf and plenty of lemon and served with a citrus tahini sauce. Enjoy with rice or steamed new potatoes.

Get the recipe for roasted cod with a coriander crust here

30. Try fish in a salad

Bring southern French sunshine into your kitchen with this different twist on a warm fish salad. Hake is roasted with olive oil, white wine and lemon on a bed of fresh herbs, served with blanched samphire and juicy, ripe tomatoes and more herbs. Samphire is a coastal grass, which tastes a little bit like young asparagus. Blanching takes out the excess salt and it's a perfect partner for fish.

Get the recipe for Provençal fish salad here

29. Marinate fish

The beauty of marinating fish is that it takes so little time for the flavours to be absorbed. Around 30 minutes is usually fine. Marinades with anything acidic in them, such as lemon juice or vinegar, will begin to cook and cure the fish, so be aware. Try our great idea for marinating white fish with punchy harissa and lemon, served with spicy couscous. Best of all, it's a one-tray bake.

Get the recipe for harissa and lemon baked fish here

28. Stock up on tinned anchovies

An essential store cupboard ingredient, anchovies are brilliant to have on standby. Buy the very best you can find – Spanish ones are fantastic. Instead of adding a fishy flavour to dishes, anchovies add umami, a rich, savoury taste akin to mushrooms or soy sauce. Stud into a leg of lamb before roasting or make our 15-minute puttanesca sauce with tomatoes, olives and garlic.

Get the recipe for linguine alla puttanesca here

27. Have frozen prawns to hand

Having a bag of raw prawns in the freezer is the answer to midweek meals, shown perfectly in this easy dish. There's an onion and spice curry paste to make, which is just whizzed up in the blender and fried off, before adding the prawns to cook in the sauce. As soon as the prawns are pink throughout, they are cooked and ready to serve. Over-cooking makes them tough and chewy.

Get the recipe for speedy, spicy prawns here

26. Bake a whole fish

Baking a whole fish isn't as daunting as you may think, and it makes a great dish for a gathering. Have your fishmonger clean, scale and gut the fish, then just fill the cavity with lemon slices and herbs, and wrap in foil to bake. Depending on the size, it will take one to two hours. It's cooked when you can easily pull out the dorsal fin. Give our Norwegian-inspired salmon recipe a try.

Get the recipe for whole baked salmon here

25. Poach delicate fish

Delicate fish like plaice benefit from being poached – it’s a gentle cooking method that helps keep the fish intact and locks in moisture. Poaching is also fantastic for adding extra flavour by experimenting with the liquid you use. You can poach with salted water, but you could also add soy sauce, vegetables or various aromatics. Milk is also excellent for poaching, especially if you’re planning on making a fish pie.

24. Try it rare and spicy

Just like a great sirloin, fish fillets such as tuna or salmon can be seared on the outside but barely cooked in the middle. Be sure of your source (try to find sashimi grade tuna) but whatever you choose, it needs to be super fresh. A great place to start is our recipe for seared tuna with fennel salad, served with a tangy Thai dressing to balance the richness of the tuna.

Get the recipe for seared tuna with fennel salad here

23. Make some zingy ceviche

Peruvian ceviche is effectively 'cooked' and cured with citrus juice, which firms up and flavours the thin slices of fish while slowly turning them opaque. The result is wonderfully light and fresh, and very easy to make, with just some chopping and no cooking required. If prawns are your thing, it doesn't get better than our recipe for spicy prawn ceviche with avocado and red onion.

Get the recipe for prawn ceviche with avocado and onion here

22. Give salt-baking a go

For a special occasion, you can't beat a salt-baked fish. The time to do it is in summer when wild sea bass is in season. The fish needs to be gutted but don't bother having the scales removed as the salt crust will do that for you. Mix coarse sea salt with lightly beaten egg white, then cover the fish all over in the mixture. Bake in a very hot oven for around 30 minutes, then crack off the hard crust. The fish won't taste salty but will be beautifully moist.

21. Buy hake, if you can

Chefs love hake and so should we. This white, firm, meaty fish from deep seas is sustainable across the world and offers good value for money. Fillets take no more than 10 minutes to cook, so try our recipe, where the hake is cooked over butter beans, tomatoes, garlic and onions with a little spice. It's served with a tangy mayonnaise. You just need some crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Get the recipe for hake and butter beans with lemon mayo here

20. Experiment with a lighter batter

Traditional fish batters tend to be very heavy, but nowadays chefs are inspired by the light, tempura batters from Japan. A little cornflour or semolina flour and ice-cold, sparkling water in the batter mixture makes the end result much lighter and really crisp. To try it out yourself, give our recipe for monkfish fritters served with a lemon and mustard mayonnaise a go. You could also use cod or hake.

Get the recipe for monkfish fritters here

19. Add curry powder to batter for a spicy kick

A basic batter has just flour and water, and perhaps some salt and pepper, but there are plenty of ways to lend even more flavour to your battered fish. Adding a little pinch of curry powder to the flour gives the batter a hint of spice. Other herbs and spices can work well too, including cayenne, paprika, thyme and parsley, or even just plenty of black pepper.

18. Don't shy away from fish curries

Fish curries are popular in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and are incredibly quick to make, especially if you buy a ready-made paste. You'll need firm white fish, prawns or shellfish – or a mixture. You can go down the hot and spicy masala route with a kick of chilli or make something creamier using coconut milk, such as our milder white fish curry. Serve with rice, poppadoms and chopped fresh tomatoes on the side.

Get the recipe for coconut fish curry here

17. Experiment with fish cakes

A firm family favourite, fish cakes can take on so many guises. Most recipes freeze well too, so it's worth making a big batch. One we love is our recipe using smoked fish and horseradish, served with a punchy caper mayonnaise. Because it contains potatoes, you just need greens or a salad to serve it with.

Get the recipe for smoked salmon fishcakes here

16. Try a fish tagine

Because salmon is such a rich fish, it takes on big, strong flavours easily. Whether you use it in a curry or in a Japanese-inspired dish with soy and mirin, doing so is much better than serving it with a creamy sauce which makes it too heavy. Our recipe for salmon tagine uses cumin and paprika, and the oiliness of the salmon is balanced out by adding plenty of citrus and sultanas.

Get the recipe for salmon tagine here

15. Cook Mediterranean fish stews

All along the Mediterranean coast, you'll encounter a fish stew. Each village or region has their own version, but the base ingredients remain pretty similar – tomatoes, garlic, fennel, onions and olives. The great thing about a dish like this is that you prepare the base sauce ahead of time, then just add the fish when you're ready to serve. Our recipe is made with white fish and mussels, but you can vary the fish as you prefer.

Get the recipe for fish stew here

14. Use the microwave smartly

Microwaving fish at the office is a cardinal sin, but it doesn’t have to be at home if you avoid overcooking. Try this simple recipe: layer some sliced leeks in the bottom of a microwavable dish and cover with a splash of water. Cover with cling film, pierced to let the steam out, and microwave for three minutes. Next, place skinless salmon fillets and cherry tomatoes on top. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, wholegrain mustard, honey and some salt and pepper to make a sauce and drizzle it over the salmon and veg. Cover again and return to the microwave for about nine minutes for moist fish that’s speedily cooked.

13. Try spicy fish balls instead of meat

If you're a little worried about over cooking fish, these little fish balls with ginger, garlic and coriander are a great way to gain confidence. Served in a spicy tomato sauce with just a little hint of chilli, you can prepare both the fish balls and sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge, then assemble and finish the dish when you're ready to serve. They're perfect with hot naan, poppadoms or basmati rice.

Get the recipe for fish balls with ginger, garlic and coriander here

12. Upgrade your snack game

Salmon hummus, you say? It works so well, trust us. Blitz canned salmon with chickpeas, garlic and tahini for an irresistible dip and spread. Try our speedy recipe which is served with a radish and red onion salad to cut through the richness of the fish. You could also use leftover cooked salmon.

Get the recipe for salmon hummus here

11. Try British fish and chips

A classic British dish, fish and chips is pretty irresistible. And we have a few tricks up our sleeve to help you prepare it at home, avoiding the mess and calories of deep frying. Our healthy version will suit kids and adults alike, breadcrumbed and shallow-fried rather than battered and deep-fried, with homemade chips baked in the oven.

Get the recipe for fish and chips here

10. Make a fish soup

Just as fish is wonderful in stews, curries, pies and ramen, it’s also delicious in soup. Cullen skink is a traditional Scottish recipe that sees smoked haddock and floury potatoes served in a creamy milk broth. It’s easy to make and the perfect comfort food when eaten with plenty of buttered bread.

Get the recipe for Cullen skink here

9. Whip up fish tacos for a quick dinner

You just can't beat a great fish taco – crisp, crumbed fish in a tortilla with a crunchy salad drizzled with a creamy chipotle sauce. Best of all, prepare everything ahead, then fry the fish and allow everyone to build their own. We've used cabbage, red onion and crunchy lettuce as the salad, but you could add avocado and spring onions too.

Get the recipe for fish tacos here

8. Steam the Chinese way

Steamed fish can be so very dull. It needs punchy ingredients to add flavour and with the right recipe, you'll have it nailed. It's light and healthy, so just serve with some stir-fried vegetables and rice to make a perfect supper. Our Cantonese steamed fish with ginger is perfect with chunky white fish such as cod and uses mostly store cupboard ingredients.

Get the recipe for Cantonese steamed fish with ginger here

7. Don't forget fish burgers

Fish burgers are really just a bigger version of a fish cake, large enough to nestle neatly in a bun. Salmon works especially well. In our recipe for salmon and dill burgers, fresh salmon is combined with smoked, lots of fresh dill, lemon and panko breadcrumbs, which are worth using as they are so light and crisp. Served with a piquant caper mayonnaise, fennel and dill pickle, they are ready in just 30 minutes.

Get the recipe for salmon and dill burgers here

6. Make restaurant-quality ramen at home

Restaurant-quality ramen at home? It's easier than you think. Here's a speedy twist on Japanese miso black cod, with just 30 minutes' marinating required. The marinade is simple, with soy, ginger and miso. The cod is fried until the skin is beautifully crisp, then incorporated with soba noodles cooked in a savoury soy broth. Add some pak choy and spring onions and you have a healthy, nourishing dish.

Get the recipe for miso cod ramen here

5. Try Vietnamese fish stew

Here's a Vietnamese version of a southern French bouillabaisse – fragrant, lightly spiced, sharp and sweet. It's made with readily available ingredients, with white fish, prawns and clams providing the fishy element. The secret ingredient is chunks of pineapple, which add a wonderful sweetness to balance out the chilli and spices. It's ready in just 35 minutes.

Get the recipe for Vietnamese fish stew here

4. Warm up with a creamy fish chowder

It's hard to beat a big, steaming bowl of comforting fish chowder. With potatoes, sweetcorn, firm white fish, prawns and scallops, all in a rich, creamy sauce, our recipe is ready to serve in just 35 minutes. Dish up with crispy bacon and crunchy croutons for added flavour and texture.

Get the recipe for creamy fish chowder here

3. Choose salmon for dinner parties

If you're hosting a gathering, a whole side of salmon is an easy solution. Here it's marinated (overnight, if you can) in spices and maple syrup, then it's simply grilled to serve. It's accompanied by a tangy, herby pineapple salsa and wonderfully sticky caramelised onion rice. It's all prepared and cooked in under an hour.

Get the recipe for spiced salmon with pineapple salsa here

2. Don't neglect fish kebabs

Fish kebabs are an easy win for the barbecue. They're a breeze to prepare and quick to cook. Our recipe uses chunks of salmon, though meaty swordfish or tuna would work well. Threaded onto skewers with courgette and lemon and served with a herby yogurt dip, they take just a few minutes each side. An oiled fish grill makes turning easier and saves burnt fingers.

Get the recipe for salmon kebabs here

1. Barbecue for smoky flavour

Our foolproof recipe for barbecued salmon will give the perfect result every time – crisp skin and crust and tender, soft flesh. Just set aside an hour to marinate the fish in soy, mirin and chilli, before grilling over direct heat. It only takes 10 minutes and makes a great alternative at a meat-heavy barbecue. Do remember to clean the grill thoroughly and oil it beforehand to prevent sticking.

Get the recipe for barbecued salmon here

Keep improving your cooking skills with our top tips for lamb

Last updated by Laura Ellis.