Lemon and Herb Fish Recipe

Hello my friends! On the menu today: a Lemon and Herb Fish recipe. Pull up a chair and enjoy.

As you guys know, I’m partnering with McCormick this year to share some fun cooking tips and recipes with you guys each month. This month’s challenge? Create a tasty, easy, and healthy fish/seafood recipe and share some tips for properly seasoning fish at home.

Growing up, I almost never ate fish, and when I did, I didn’t really enjoy it… well, unless you count fried shrimp. ;) I feel like in the 80’s and 90’s it was either a plain, super boring white fish or fish sticks, and as a result I didn’t really start to like fish until I was well into my 20’s.

For awhile, I stuck with only ordering fish at restaurants because I thought it was too hard to try to make it myself at home, but in recent years I’ve gotten more adventurous and as a result have found that making fish at home is actually quite easy! I’ve even been able to win over Matt, Mr. “I hate fish”, with some of my fish recipes. :) (See also: Almond Crusted Tilapia!)

The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating seafood at least twice a week; however, most Americans fall short of this goal. Let’s see what we can do to change that, okay? Fish is a great way to mix it up from meat – high in protein and packed with heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which help to reduce inflammation. Fatty fish (salmon, lake trout, herrings, sardines, and tuna) will be your best source of omega 3’s, but most fish contains at least some omega-3s.

The secret to delish fish at home (frozen or fresh is fine!) is herbs and spices. Some tips from McCormick that I found useful:

• Slightly sweet or delicate seafood – such flounder, halibut, cod, or scallops – can be enhanced by an equally delicate or lightly pungent herb. Some good pairings for mild fish are chervil, chives, dill and parsley.
• Meaty, full-flavored seafood, such as tuna, swordfish, and even clams, mussels, and shrimp will stand up to stronger-flavored or peppery herbs, or herb blends that include marjoram, basil, oregano and sage.
• Not sure what category your favorite fish falls into? Thyme and tarragon pair well with both mild and full-flavored seafood.

Since I was using a mild white fish (sablefish, leftover from my free shipment from Sizzlefish awhile ago), I decided to go with a mix of dill, parsley, and some garlic powder for good measure. I’ve been obsessed with dill lately – and it’s so good with fish.

I love lemon with fish, too, so I added some of that in addition to a little olive oil. Whisk it all together in a bowl, coat the fish in it, and bake! That was easy. The full recipe is below, if you’d like to try it!

The fish came out delicate and flavorful with just the right amount of lemon and herby goodness. I served it with some brown rice and string beans, but feel free to mix it up. This fish would be great atop salad for lunch, too!

What’s your favorite fish/seafood recipe? I’d love to see some links for new recipes to try! Here are a few of my other fishy dinner favorites:

• Pesto Baked Salmon
• Black Pepper Crusted Yellowfin Tuna
• Goat Cheese Shrimp with Rice & Veggies
• Seared Scallops with White Beans and Spinach
• Shrimp, Cucumber, and Feta Orzo Salad
• Tilapia en Papillote
• Tuna & Veggie Pasta Salad (cold)

And lunch favorites:

• Smoked Salmon & Dill Wrap
• Tuna Salad with a Healthy Twist
• Cheesy Avocado Tuna Sandwich

Thank you to McCormick for sponsoring this post (and for sending me some of their awesome spices to experiment with in the kitchen)! If you missed last month’s McCormick post, check that out, too: How to Add Flavor to Meals Without Salt or Sugar.