Fish is a great main ingredient. Light, healthy and low in sodium, you can even make it more flavorful by adding the right spices and herbs to the dish. What’s best about it is that not only do herbs and spices help take the flavor to the next level, they do so minus unnecessary salt or sugar or additional calories.
If you’re watching your salt and calorie intake you’ll never go wrong with spices. That being said, these are some great spices and herbs that would be perfect for your fish dish.
Ginger root
Aromatic with a little bit of pungency and some spiciness on the side, fresh ginger root adds just the right amount of zest to any fish recipe. Fish often has this characteristic odor that can turn sensitive noses off. A little bit of freshly minced or grated ginger can take care of that. The best thing about ginger root is that it works well with savory and sweet flavors alike.
Parsley
Known for its slightly bitter taste, savory dishes can really benefit from its addition due to how it can effortlessly balance things out. Generally a popular choice for garnishes, it works well when serving fish dishes too especially when paired with a bit of lemon juice or anything citrusy. Whether baking or pan-frying some fish fillet, parsley is something you’d never want to skip.
Chives
It’s like garlic and onions are combined and made into a single spice. It is this particular combination that makes chives perfect for white fish of the milder variety including tilapia or Pollock. Get the most out of the flavors by marinating your fish with some yoghurt before heating it up.
Black pepper
That mild heat that it adds to the dish that makes it an ideal addition to any fish dish. The best thing about it is that you don’t have to use it exclusively. Combined with other herbs and spices, pepper will truly take any fish dish to even more scrumptious levels.
Important fish cooking tips
Many people often make the mistake of shopping for a specific type of fish when featuring it in their meal, and there are plenty of hacks to fish shopping too:
For instance, most fish recipes can be easily substituted with a different type. This helps make it easier for you to go for the one that looks the freshest instead of sticking to the specifications of the recipe.
When buying whole fish, make sure that the eyes are clear and shiny. Check the gills and make sure that there are red and moist and make sure that the scales are still clinging tight to its skin. If fillets are what you’re looking for, make sure it looks firm and moist and definitely steer clear from anything that looks dry or has parts that seem to look discolored.