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Finding the Forgotten Feast

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Fish Recipes and Seafood

salmon with cucumber sauce on the plate
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

FIND IT FAST

  • About
  • Fish for Beginners: Perfect Seared Fish | Simple Grilled Whole Fish | Fish & Chips | Pairing with Beer
  • Recipes by Category: Easy | Salmon | Snapper | Oddballs | Crabs, Shrimp & More

About

I was an angler before I was a hunter, and I’ve been cooking fish and seafood, and developing my own fish recipes since I was a teenager. Seafood is my first culinary obsession.

For a time I worked professionally as a line cook in a seafood restaurant and spent a while earning my rent as a commercial clammer and salmon fisherman.

Below you will find my favorite fish recipes, as well as seafood recipes, some from “easy” fish, such as salmon, striped bass and trout — I call these “easy” because they are not a stretch for most cooks. I specialize in the weird, however (I am sure this shocks you) so you’ll also find more esoteric fish recipes here, too.

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Fish for Beginners

Some baseline techniques you will find useful as you come across various fish and seafood. Many of these apply to so many different kinds of seafood it’s worth compiling them here.

pan seared grouper on a plate

Perfect Seared Fish

How to pan-sear fish fillets, skin on or skinless, perfectly every time. It’s not hard, but there are a few tricks to it.

Read More about Perfect Seared Fish

And here is my video on How to Sear Fish.

Whole fish on the grill

Simple Grilled Whole Fish

Grilling a whole fish is an important skill to know. It requires a clean, hot grill, some oil, and a little finesse.

Read More about Simple Grilled Whole Fish

A plate of beer battered fish and chips

Halibut Fish and Chips

This is a basic fish and chips recipe you can use with any firm fish. Halibut, cod, haddock, redfish, walleye, perch, catfish, lingcod, shark… you get the picture.

Read More about Halibut Fish and Chips

Here is an article I wrote about pairing fish and seafood with beer for Hop Culture.

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Fish Recipes By Category

Grilled tuna steaks with Sicilian salad on a plate

Easy Fish

Typical market fish, such as snapper, halibut, bass, flounder, etc. I catch a lot of halibut and striped bass, so you will see those recipes here.

Read More about Fish Recipes

salmon with cucumber sauce recipe

Salmon Recipes

Recipes that focus on salmon, trout and char. They range from simple salads to fancy, date-night dishes.

Read More about Salmon Recipes

Seared red snapper with cherry tomatoes and corn

Snapper Recipes

Everything you need to know about prepping and cooking both the true snappers, as well as similar fish like groupers, black seabass, Pacific rockfish and freshwater bass.

Read More about Snapper Recipes

A plate of boquerones ready to eat.

Sharks, Little Fish and Oddballs

Fish you are less likely to see in a regular market. Shark recipes will be here, along with shad and other bony fish, as well as my recipes for little fish like herring, anchovies and sardines.

Read More about Sharks, Little Fish and Oddballs

A plate of cooked crabs

Crabs, Shrimp and Other Seafood

This is where you’ll find it if it doesn’t have fins. I do a lot of clamming and crabbing, and I eat a lot of shrimp, octopus and squid. You’ll also find mussel recipes, too.

Read More about Recipes for Shellfish, Squid, Octopi and Crustaceans

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for RohtakRohtak says

    August 19, 2020 at 9:19 pm

    Very good looking recipes, I will try them, Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  2. Avatar for MimiMimi says

    October 3, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    Would a stove-top smoker require less time for say, a trout, than your usual smoking method?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      October 3, 2019 at 4:22 pm

      Mimi: Yes, and it is a very different result. Indoor, stove top smoking is not the same thing as full-on hot smoking.

      Reply
  3. Avatar for JohnJohn says

    April 20, 2019 at 7:11 am

    I have breaded and fried roe from Largemouth Bass and love it. I tried the same with Crappie, not as good. Any other ideas for this ingredient?

    Reply
  4. Avatar for Tuxx DeluxxTuxx Deluxx says

    April 2, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Any recipes for carp?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 2, 2019 at 6:17 pm

      Tuxx: Yes. Use the search function.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for T. Neil McKaigT. Neil McKaig says

    February 20, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    Spend a good bit of my life in East Texas, eat lots of catfish supplied by neighbor’s brother. Mostly fried but some grilled and even baked. I have read your ideas on pickling fish, which I love, what do you think about catfish pickle.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      February 21, 2018 at 8:35 am

      T. Neil: It’ll work, although you want a firm fish for a pickle. I have a pickled pike recipe on this site that you can use as a model.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for Lori L BuchananLori L Buchanan says

    June 27, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    Im smoking some salmon as we speak.I just recently got an electric smoker…cajun injector. I wanna cook some mahi mahi orahi n keep thinking about a fabulous warm spinach salad.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Louise Nicole RoffLouise Nicole Roff says

    March 17, 2017 at 11:53 pm

    the venison in cumberland sauce was to die for! Thanks Hank! You should come down to godzone (New Zealand) for some hunting & fishing- it’s epic! You won’t want to leave. Arohanui

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 18, 2017 at 9:10 am

      Louise: I’ve been there. Wonderful place.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for Anthony MurchAnthony Murch says

    December 28, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    When will you make the next cook book? Can I suggest Fish, Fish, Clam?
    Oh yes I know you want to!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for GordonGordon says

    September 5, 2016 at 8:51 am

    Hank in your book ” Hunt,Gather, Cook” you talk about skates and rays, do you include the Bat Ray under that category? Nobody I know eats them and they are one of the more common fish caught in the bay near where I live. Are they good to eat , do they require special preparation?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      September 5, 2016 at 9:04 am

      Gordon. Yes. Use the search engine on this site and you will see my recipe for bat ray.

      Reply
  10. Avatar for Chad ReithmeierChad Reithmeier says

    August 14, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    Hi Hank. I catch and eat a lot of striped bass (my favorite), crappie, sand bass, and catfish here in north Texas. But I have always caught and released largemouth bass. Everything I read says they are a sport fish not worth eating. I don’t catch many because I am not looking for them, but I always get one or two when I am on the lake and let them go … Thoughts?

    Chad

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      August 14, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Chad: In North Texas the water is likely to be warm, which means the meat of the bass might get mushy when cooked. This doesn’t always happen, but it does often enough that if you do keep one, you might put the meat into fish cakes, which takes care of this problem.

      Reply
  11. Avatar for DylanDylan says

    April 5, 2016 at 11:54 am

    Nope, you can harvest up to 5 pacific lamprey per day in all anadromous waters of CA by any method except traps. The runs are greatly reduced in the Sacramento, San Joaquin and tributaries down near you, so limiting your harvest seems like a good, ethical choice. Up here the runs are healthier, with lots of native harvest in the Eel, Klamath and Trinity, by the Weot, Yurok, Hoopa and Karuk, and growing recognition of their ecological, cultural, culinary and dietary importance among non-natives too. They were petitioned for ESA listing, but they weren’t accepted because they are genetically homogeneous throughout their range. There is a pretty interesting history in the Sacramento River of their depredation for “predator control” if you are interested. Hope you get to try some and that the eels return to Central California!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 5, 2016 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks, Dylan! Did not know that.

      Reply
  12. Avatar for DylanDylan says

    March 14, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    Hey Hank,
    I just got sent this link for a simple lamprey stir fry recipe:
    https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/03/12/video-delicious-marriage-between-kale-and-lamprey-eel-163646

    Looks good, but I haven’t had the chance to try it, because the eels are just beginning to run up here in Humboldt County (and I am a novice eeler in need of some honing of my harvest skills…).

    Have you cooked with lamprey at all? It would be fun to see your take on cooking with such a oily and unusual fish.

    be well,
    Dylan

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 15, 2016 at 8:44 am

      Dylan: I thought they were protected if you were not a native? I know they ate them in early Europe, but I’ve never eaten one here in CA.

      Reply
  13. Avatar for SawyerSawyer says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:06 am

    Last year I caught a salmon in the Sac. It was a beautiful 20lb hen bright and silver. Looked very fresh. Bleed it on the boat and the way home I believe there was no time it wasn’t on ice.
    Butchered it at home and cooked a fillet that night and it was terrible. Tasted like river and metal and was hard to mask. Made smoked salmon and even that was pretty bad. Couldn’t mask the flavor at all.

    To make things worse the cat and dog seemed to get a bit under the weather after I butchered the fish. I did learn a bit about salmon and dogs and the way a dog can get sick from salmon from the river.

    I hate to waste meat but this was a pretty hard fish to use in anything. Do you have any experience with off fish – Or would you just trash it? I just found another fillet and tried another brine and smoked it and threw it all out. Which I hate.

    Reply
  14. Avatar for Katrina JonesKatrina Jones says

    January 14, 2016 at 7:04 am

    Unless you have a recipe from a recent Ball Blue Book or from a university extension office or the USDA, don’t even think of canning fish eggs! If the pH is too high (and you can’t be sure without rigorous testing and special equipment), then you run the risk of botulism developing…NOT worth it! Instead, dehydrate the fish eggs, pulverize them into a powder if you wish, store them in a jar (NO vacuum sealing…botulism loves low oxygen and pH above 4.6), then add them to your meals. Fish eggs are super high in fat-soluable vitamins and minerals, so make sure you add a generous amount of fat to the meal so your body can utilize the vitamins, and hence, the minerals. Stick with high quality animal fats like pasture-raised butter and bacon grease, olive or coconut oils…stear clear of canola, soybean, and other common vegetable oils, as they are the cause of much of our current health problems today. For an outstanding read on wholesome diets vs our Standard American Diet (SAD), and the immense health benefits of fish eggs and other quality foods, read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, DDS. Thoroughly enlightening and fascinating!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 14, 2016 at 7:52 am

      Katrina: Uh… OK. I’ve never had the inclination to can caviar anyway. I eat it fresh only.

      Reply
  15. Avatar for Bennett FischerBennett Fischer says

    January 7, 2016 at 12:35 pm

    My wife’s birthday is coming up, and I wanted to do something really nice for her. She is in love with seafood, so I want to make some for her birthday dinner. That being said, I really appreciate you sharing a few different recipes that I’d be able to try out. She loves fish, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to follow that recipe. Thanks a ton for the help.

    Reply
  16. Avatar for Joao SilvaJoao Silva says

    November 25, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    Hi Hank, I am new comer to your blog and I have recently found a medieval recipe of shrimp stuffed roasted wild pheasant, which I am tempted to try out but using goose instead. Would you see any problem with this strange mix?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 28, 2015 at 8:20 am

      Joao: Yep. Seems odd to me.

      Reply
  17. Avatar for kevin mamokevin mamo says

    December 28, 2014 at 11:15 am

    Hi, Kevin again: Which type of imitation sausage casing is better?

    Reply
  18. Avatar for Hamish THOMPSONHamish THOMPSON says

    May 30, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    Hello Hank from the East Coast of Australia,

    I have been following your website/blog for many years now and it is defiantly my favorite website. I love you recipes, hunting stories and basic ethos for life and food. Congratulations for all your hard work. I know how hard it is after attempting to create a fishing/seafood/coastal forage blog myself, but simply didn’t have to time to publish my adventures.

    I have been scanning through here trying to find your recipe for salted roe, “botargo”. I’m sure I have read it on your publications. If so can you please send the link. Really keen to give it a try, especailly attempt to do it with the much smaller scallop roe.

    Keep up the good work.

    Regards
    Hamish

    Reply
  19. Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

    September 6, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Joe: I actually don’t know how to can caviar! Now I need to go learn…

    Reply
  20. Avatar for Joe PosaJoe Posa says

    September 6, 2012 at 4:39 am

    Hank, It’s almost salmon season here in the great lakes region of NE Ohio… I have made salmon caviar in the past and then read your post on the same. Now my passion for the stuff is back! How do you can caviar? It’s on good for such a short time… I see it in jars at the market… Regards, JP

    Reply
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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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