Recipes with fish/shellfish

longestgame

I have been looking at the grocery challenge thread and am loving all the recipes mentioned at the start. However, in trying to meal plan ahead, I was wondering what you all do for fish? I did not see a lot of fish recipes. We try to eat fish once or twice a week, which is an expense, but we do for the health benefits.

I was wondering what/how others bring fish into their diets while budget cooking, to hopefully get some more recipe ideas, as I keep on recycling the same 2-3 recipes. 

Happy with recipes for any kind of fish, cuisine, difficulty level, etc., that have proved winners for you. 

longestgame

These are our current staples: 

Mussel pasta

Currently, we will eat mussels, etc., when they are on discount. For example, those vac packed mussels packages with mussels in garlic butter, adding leeks and pasta to make it a full meal. You could add chili pepper or some crispy bacon bits as well. I usually take the mussels out of their shells before adding the pasta.

Mackaroni cheese

We also do mackaroni cheese with flaked smoked mackerel added to the cheese sauce for mac and cheese, after a friend once cooked it for a dinner party. We weren't sure when we heard what was on the menu, but it was a revelation and it has become a firm favourite.

Mackerel stir-fry with kecap manis sauce (for 2):

We flake smoked mackerel fillets in a stir-fry with all kinds of veg, noodles and a sauce made with sesame oil (tiny bit), chili sauce (like sriracha - little bit, to taste), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce - 2-3 table spoons) and a bit of lemon juice (to taste, we usually use half a lemon). Then some crispy onions or spring onion on top before serving. 

itsthelittlethings

I snack on tinned mackerel with a bit of vinaigrette, not sure if it’s an acquired taste but I really like it. I use tinned in olive oil.

kimwp

Smoked mackerel on toast

Tinned mackerel with mash and peas

Salmon stir fried with cabbage, courgette, mushrooms (any veg you like), with teriyaki (or any sauce you like) and rice

Just remembered one I used to have a lot - noodles, steam/boil broccoli in the same pot, then tip tin of mackerel in - yum!

mandy47

Fish pie. Any fish and shell fish packed out with sweetcorn peas and carrot. Creamy white sauce and topped with mash. 

Brambling

Fish cakes using either tinned or fresh fish

Make your own fish fingers, works well with salmon as well as white fish.

smoked haddock kedgeree, the fish goes further with the added boiled eggs

I used to make a savoury vegetable rice with tinned tuna and finish off with a squeeze of lemon juice.  If you add lots of veg one tin of tuna will feed four. 

Tinned sardines or mackerel on toast for a easy lunch 

smoked mackerel or tuna pate - mash the fish with a fork and add cream cheese (SM on brand) blackberry pepper and lemon juice.  Works with smoke salmon and dill or kippers. 

Look at the BBC good food website they usually have lots of ideas

joedenise

I tend to use frozen fish as it's relatively cheap.  We have a few of favourites:

fish pie - use a piece of salmon, a piece of smoked haddock and a piece of white fish and a handful of prawns if I have any.  Just lightly cook the fish (not prawns they go in frozen towards the end); cook potaoes and mash, make a cheese sauce.  Stir cooked fish through cheese sauce, throw in a handful of prawns if using and put in a dish.  Top with mash and brown under the grill.  Makes 2-3 portions.

As above but rather than potatoes cook some pasta and stir the fish in cheese sauce through, put in dish, top with grated cheese and grill until brown and bubbling.

A cheaper dish would be a kedgeree using some smoked haddock.  Various recipes on line but basically rice, peas and smoked haddock.

Brie

OH is a dab hand at doing seafood pasta or risotto.  Just a case of using those mixed frozen packs - prawns, mussels, calamari.  

I on the other hand am a big fan of salmon.  Grilled, baked, BBQd, pan fried.  I aim to have that at least once a week whether it's making it for both of us for dinner or just me for breakfast (OH like kippers and smoked haddock so has those instead).

A nice way to make an easy dinner is to put some nice pieces of salmon or whole trout or trout fillets on some buttered foil, top with sliced tomatoes, maybe sliced lemons and a bit of herbs d provence and seal the foil above the fish making a bit of a tent.  Also very nice if you put fresh spinach leaves on the buttered foil before adding the fish.  Bake the sealed packet for about 30 minutes at maybe 170c (fan).  Serve with boiled potatoes or rice.

When BBQing again I grease some foil, put the fish skin side down on that and sprinkle with some herbs.  Fine herbs or nice but if you can get some zaatar spice that is marvellous as it has a tangy taste, almost lemony.  I have a honking big Weber propane BBQ with 3 burners so I have the fish on the foil to one side with the burners at minimum but the burner the other side maybe at 2/3s.  20 - 25 minutes does it nice, not tooo dry.  

To keep the OH from rolling his eyes at me if I buy salmon I also get butterflied seabass when the price is right.  Just pan fried in butter normally.  

And the OH also does a lovely turn with tuna steaks - cooks up some onions, tomatoes, beans or lentils and then puts the tuna on top to basically poach.  Nice that it's the whole mean in one pan.  He does similar things with cod loin or other big chunks of white fish.

And if you don't want to pay for smoked haddock then smoked basa is a good substitute particularly if you are using it as part of a dish rather than as an item on it's own.  OH does accept that as part of a breakfast with a poached egg.  

Brambling

This is a nice easy risotto using the microwave 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easiest-ever-seafood-risotto

I also do this but skip the coriander 🤢 another simple recipe and you can change the fish. I use left over filo to either make spinach and feta triangles (Spanakopitas) which freeze well raw or a topping for fish  pie 

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/easy-meat-free-recipes/thai-salmon-filo-parcels

Albermarle

To keep the OH from rolling his eyes at me if I buy salmon I also get butterflied seabass when the price is right.  Just pan fried in butter normally.  

As this is MSE, I have to point that an economical way to eat good quality fish is to shop at Costco.
You can buy a side of Salmon, and cut it into pieces at home and freeze them . Definitely cheaper than buying individual pieces of Salmon at the supermarket, and less packaging waste.
Also you can buy bags of frozen filleted sea bass. Each piece costs about the same as the supermarket, but is about 50% bigger.
Plus they sell cod and haddock fillets as well. Plus frozen breaded fillets, again bigger than you normally get. 

The only trouble is that you have got to be a member, although it is not that difficult to become one. 

itsthelittlethings

I love this recipe.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/oct/14/quick-easy-miso-salmon-ginger-noodles-recipe-rukmini-iyer