Our love for seafood runs as deep as the ocean. We love the variety of seafood available and how deliciously healthy it can be. Fish is also a great source of protein and packed with omega-3’s essential to our diets. We’ve rounded up our favourite easy and healthy fish recipes (and a healthy dose of fried options too) for your next seafood feast at home.

Healthy Fish Recipes

Some easy and healthy ways to prepare fish that still have loads of flavour.

Tartare Crusted Hake with Peas & Beer Battered Onion Rings

A slightly healthier version of fish and chips, minus the potatoes and added mushy peas.

Recipe for Tartare crusted Grilled Hake with Mushy Peas and Beer Battered Onion Rings

Niçoise Salad with Poached Salmon and Sweet Mustard Dressing

This deliciously light and filling salad is full of flavour and healthy omegas – a perfect spring and summer meal!

Recipe for Niçoise Salad with Poached Salmon and Sweet Mustard Dressing

Nut & Seed Crusted Hake with Gnocchi

We lose the classic deep fried batter for a deliciously crunchy seed crust that is full of healthy fats and nutrients. Served on a bed of homemade gnocchi with wilted spinach, fresh parsley and mint.

Recipe for Nut & Seed Crusted Hake with Gnocchi

Polenta-Crusted Hake with Mussels, Chorizo and Chickpeas

This recipe also replaces the classic batter with a light and fresh coating of polenta. The beautiful mix of classic seafood flavours and addition of chorizo is reminiscent of paella.

Recipe for Polenta-Crusted Hake with Mussels, Chorizo and Chickpeas

Kingklip with Quinoa

Beautifully baked kingklip, served with the tastiest quinoa gently fried with garlic, ginger, leeks, celery and pepper. A well balanced and delicious plate of protein.

Recipe for Kingklip with Quinoa

Curried Kingklip with Sorghum Salad & Dumplings

A Cape Malay-style curry that allows the kingklip to shine, heightened by a fusion of spices. Served with maltabella sorghum dumplings and a coconut turmeric latte cream.

Recipe for Curried Kingklip with Sorghum Salad, Dumplings with a Coconut & Latte Cream

Balsamic & Honey Glazed Trout with Bacon and Edamame Beans

This beautiful dish of fish is beaming with delicious sweet and salty flavours from the balsamic and bacon combination – an easy and healthy Asian-inspired dinner or lunch.

Recipe for Balsamic & Honey Glazed Trout with Bacon and Edamame Beans

Salt Baked Sea Trout

Another tasty trout recipe to add to your list! This is one of the most traditional methods of cooking fish – by creating a salt bake you seal in all the moisture of the fish, leaving it juicy and full of flavour.

Recipe for Salt Baked Sea Trout

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Sexy Ceviche

Ceviche is really one of the best ways to prepare and enjoy fish – the punchy and fresh flavours from the lime, coriander and chilli are honestly just the best.

Dusky Kabeljou Ceviche

The light curing process retains all the fresh flavour and keeps the dish light. NOTE: Check with your fishmonger that your Dusky Kabeljou/Kob is farmed and not sea caught. Farmed fish are on the green list, sea caught are on the red list. For more information check wwfsassi.co.za

Recipe for Dusky Kabeljou Ceviche

Dusky Kob Ceviche

Deliciously light and juicy cubes of lime-cured Dusky Kob with a baby fennel, radish and spring onion salad. Again, make sure that you request farmed Dusky Kob as they are highly endangered.

Recipe for Dusky Kob Ceviche

El Burro White Fish Ceviche With Nachos

A gorgeous white fish ceviche bursting with fresh flavour from the lime and tangy salsa. Served with avo and nachos to scoop up all the deliciousness.

Recipe for White Fish Ceviche with Nachos 

Mexican Tuna Ceviche

Light, fresh, packed with flavour and so easy to make. Serve with plenty of nachos for scooping and cooling guacamole. Arriba!

Mexican Tuna Ceviche

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Fresh and Raw

Eating fish raw is a great way to ensure that you get the best nutrients out of it. There are many different preparations and the freshness, texture and flavour can’t be beat – some of our favourite healthy fish recipes.

Wonton Cups with Tuna Tartare

A really simple but pretty, canapé packed with so many delicious flavours.

Recipe for Wonton Cups with Tuna Tartare

Salmon Tartar with Picked Radish & Ponzu Reduction

A combination of simple yet delicious flavours that come together beautifully for a tasty, fresh dish.

Recipe for Salmon Tartare with Pickled, Ponzu Reduction and Guacamole

Spring Salmon and Spinach Poke Bowl

A vibrant and healthy poke bowl with spinach-flavoured rice, salmon, avo, edamame beans and Sriracha mayo.

Recipe for Spring Salmon and Spinach Poke Bowl

Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon Tart with Grilled Asparagus

This tart couldn’t be easier to make, golden puff pastry is topped with creamy cottage cheese, smoky salmon and fresh greens. Yum!

Recipe for Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon Tart

New York Style Salmon

Sublime fresh fish finished with soy, sesame, ginger and garlic – classic Asian flavours, and so pretty too!

Recipe for New York Style Salmon

Traditional Poke Bowl

Man do we love poke bowls! The classic Hawaiian dish is filled with simple clean flavours that let the fish shine.

Recipe for Traditional Poke Bowl

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Cured & Seared Healthy Fish Recipes

Curing or searing fish is another simple, healthy and delicious way to prepare fish.

Citrus and Fennel Cured Franschhoek Trout

A gorgeous plate full of colour, flavour and texture. A perfectly light and refreshing start to any meal.

Recipe for Citrus and Fennel Cured Franschhoek Trout

Sesame Crusted Salmon with Shaved Fennel and Tomato Salad

Delicious sesame crusted salmon sliced and served with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a fresh fennel and tomato salad.

Recipe for Sesame Crusted Salmon with Shaved Fennel and Tomato Salad

Sesame Seared Salmon

Served with chilli and red pepper sauce. We’ve used the Aji Rocoto chilli pepper, which comes all the way from Lima, Peru.

Recipe for Sesame Seared Salmon.

Oriental Tuna Tagliata

Golden seared tuna with sesame seeds, garlic, chilli and ginger served fresh with clean and distinct oriental flavours.

Recipe for Oriental Tuna Tagliata

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Healthy Fish Recipes for the Braai

Cooking over the open coals is one of the most tasty ways to cook and it also is pretty healthy too. You’ll be using very little oil and can get a lot of great flavour from the smoke. It’s definitely one of our favourite ways to cook fish.

Blackened Tuna Steak and Chips with Zesty Lime Mayo

Have you ever heard of a tastier tuna steak in your life? As the name suggests, this awesome way of cooking tuna steaks produces a charred, crusty spice exterior.

Recipe for the Blackened Tuna Steak and Chips with Zesty Lime Mayo

Mackerel with Baby Gem Lettuce & A Charred Potato Salad

A spicy take on omega 3-rich mackerel – best done on the braai!

Recipe for Mackerel with Wilted Baby Gem Lettuce and A Charred Potato Salad

Braai Whole Yellowtail with Rocket Salad & Greek Dressing

Take a trip to the Aegean with this Greek-inspired whole fish braai.

Recipe for Whole Braai Yellowtail

Yellowtail Darnes with a Herby Mascarpone Butter

Yellowtail on the braai is a South African favourite. It’s firm, meaty and holds up well on the grid. A darne is a way of cutting the fish widthwise, which gives it a steak-like quality.

Recipe for Yellowtail Darnes with a Herby Mascarpone Butter

Whole Braaied Snoek with Apricot Basting

This recipe for braaied whole snoek with apricot basting is a real South African classic and is perfect for summer entertaining.

Recipe for this Whole Braaied Snoek with Apricot Jam Basting

Fire Baked Dukkah Oysters with Herb Butter

Avoid the hassle of shucking and simply put the oysters straight onto the grill. They’ll poach in their own juices and pop right open when they’re ready.

Recipe for these Dukkah Oysters with Herb Butter

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Fishcake Recipes

Fishcakes are great for meals during the week when you are short on time and have a family to feed. They’re really simple to make and can be shallow fried in a good quality olive oil or coconut oil to keep them on the healthier side.

Asian Tuna Fishcakes with Miso Mayo

If you’v never been a fan of fishcakes, this is the recipe that will change your mind. Tuna cakes infused with the goodness of ginger, chilli and Chinese five-spice, and a crunchy exterior that’s out of this world.

Recipe for Tuna Fishcakes

Smoked Snoek Fish Bites with Sweet Potato Wedges

Not your ordinary fish and chips, the wedges add a bit of sweetness to this meal.

Recipe for Smoked Snoek Fish Bites

Zesty Tuna Fishcakes with Chives and Dill

Canned tuna makes utterly moreish fishcakes. Great as a midweek meal for the family.

Recipe for Zesty Tuna Fishcakes with Chives and Dill

Crumbed Salmon Fishcakes with a Cashew and Vegetable Stir Fry

Fish served with stir-fry is a great meal for families; it cooks really quickly, is tasty and packed with nutrients. These salmon fishcakes are so delish!

Recipe for Crumbed Salmon Fishcakes with a Cashew And Vegetable Stir Fry

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Some Sneaky Fried Fish Recipes

Ok, we know, deep frying is not the healthiest way to prepare fish but it sure is one of the most delicious. We’ve added in just a few not-so-healthy fish recipes, just in case you feel like something a little more indulgent.

Crispy Cajun Calamari

Cajun spice adds flavour and heat to both the crispy fried calamari and dipping sauce.

Recipe for Crispy Cajun Calamari

Pan-fried Calamari with Lemon Mayo and Guacamole

Spicy Mediterranean-style calamari with punchy flavours from olives and capers.

Recipe for Pan-fried calamari with Lemon Mayo & Guacamole

The Best Fish ‘n Chips with Mushy Peas

Who doesn’t love a great fish and chips? This recipe will become a firm favourite, light and crispy batter and perfectly succulent fish.

Recipe for the best Fish ‘n Chips with Mushy Peas

Spicy Fish Goujons with Rosemary Potato Chips

Give your fish goujons a spicy twist with this recipe. They are delicious served with rosemary straw potato chips.

Recipe for Spicy Fish Goujons with Rosemary Potato Chips

Crispy Ginger Calamari with Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce

Meet the calamari dish of your dreams; these crispy and gingery bites are incredibly tasty.

Recipe for Crispy Ginger Calamari with Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce

ZESTY PANKO FISH BITES WITH LEMONGOLD® MAYONNAISE

These crunchy, zesty fish bites served with a creamy lemon mayo dipping sauce is like being on a seaside holiday!

Recipe for Zesty Panko Fish Bites

If these healthy fish recipes gave you a hankering for healthy fish outside of your home, check out our list of the Best Seafood Restaurants in Cape Town.