43 Healthy Seafood Recipes You'll Make All the Time

When you’re looking for a quick and healthy dinner, nothing beats seafood. You’ve got plenty of choices so it’s easy to build a meal around your favorite ingredients and seasonings. Craving fish tacos? Is shrimp a family favorite? Trying to use up the canned tuna in your pantry? Whatever your situation, you’ll find that there’s a delicious and healthy recipe that fits the bill—starting with this salmon. It’s stuffed with a mixture of fresh herbs so it’s infused with bright flavor as it cooks. A light glaze makes the perfect finishing touch.

Flaky sardines, protein-rich quinoa and crisp veggies come together in this nutrient-dense bowl that’s as satisfying as it is heart-healthy.

This bold dinner salad pairs hearty spiced quinoa with flaky tuna and fresh greens for a protein-packed seafood dish that’s both light and satisfying.

Haddock is a mild-tasting, flaky white fish similar to cod. Here it is baked to perfection atop a sweet cherry tomato sauce spiked with salty capers and olives. Pair it with some crusty bread to soak up the juices.

The elegant flavors of this healthy cod recipe are inspired by the popular miso-marinated black cod dish served at Nobu. In this lighter and speedier version, cod fillets are marinated in an umami-rich miso-soy mixture for just 4 hours or overnight — not 4 days — and then quickly broiled to caramelize the top while leaving the inside silky and buttery. We balance out everything with the freshness of bok choy sautéed with garlic and rice vinegar. Packed with protein and nutrients, the dish is deeply satisfying and comes together with just about 25 minutes of cooking and prep time.

This one-pan dish inspired by the flavors of cioppino, a seafood stew invented by Italian fishermen in San Francisco, is an array of fresh seafood – mussels, scallops and cod – nestled in a cherry tomato sauce infused with garlic, fennel, fresh thyme and a splash of white wine. The oven does all the work here, resulting in rich, savory flavors while keeping the prep simple and cleanup a breeze. Perfect for a weeknight dinner but festive enough for a special occasion, this healthy dish brings the taste of the coast straight to your table with minimal fuss.

Cooking tender shrimp and noodles inside a parchment packet with aromatic coconut, curry and lemongrass creates big flavor without much added fat or salt. When you cut open the paper, the escaping steam releases a wonderful fragrance.

Paella always has a serious wow factor and is great for a crowd. This version is perfect for a summer meal because it’s made on a grill in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet instead of a paella pan. Covering the grill helps provide even heat that’s hard to achieve on a stovetop and the grill also imparts a nice smoky flavor and mimics the traditional method of cooking paella over an open flame.

Wrap tortillas around delicate shrimp in chipotle sauce and serve them with a light grapefruit and jicama salad for a fresh take on traditional tacos. 

This nutrient-packed soup combines tender shrimp, fresh vegetables and zesty homemade taco seasoning in a tomato-y broth. Loaded with healthy ingredients like peppers, corn and black beans, it's a satisfying meal that's refreshing, filling and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or flavorful lunch. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and crunchy crushed tortilla chips for the ultimate taco treatment.

Stock you freezer with a family favorite and you'll never be without a healthy dinner on a busy weeknight again.

Jamaica’s escovitch is a pan-fried fish topped with pickled vegetable that bursts with an irresistible combination of sweet, tangy and spicy flavors. The traditional escovitch fish is a whole red snapper, but this recipe uses snapper fillets to streamline the cooking and serving. Once the fish is fried, colorful bell peppers and other vegetables are sautéed with spices. Adding vinegar and sugar to the mix gives the sauce its signature sweet-and-sour flavor. Escovitch fish is usually quite spicy thanks to Jamaica’s famous Scotch bonnet peppers, but you can reduce the amount of pepper or omit it if you’re after a milder dish. Serve it with Jamaican standards like rice and peas and plantains.

Steamed fish is a delicious Chinese classic that’s not only famously good for you and but also easy on the prep — our version can be on the table in just about 30 minutes. Our take on this dish makes a few adjustments to emphasize its healthy, high-protein aspects for a well-balanced meal delivering 25 grams of protein and less fat than some recipes. Steaming is a traditional method for preserving the tenderness and delicate taste of fish, and adding a layer of napa cabbage underneath prevents sticking and acts as a bed of tender vegetables for serving. While Chinese steamed fish is often made with a whole fish, we opted for fish fillets for easy prep and serving. A flavorful mix of low-sodium soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a hint of chile give the fish a beautiful base flavoring. A finish of hot oil infused with aromatics is poured over the dish for dramatic sizzle and the mouthwatering aroma and flavor this style is known for. Pair this high-protein main with steamed brown rice for extra fiber.

Elevate canned salmon, creamy cannellini beans and dried pasta into an elegant meal that’s ready in only 20 minutes. A bit of crème fraîche brings it all together, and lemon – along with a trio of fresh herbs – adds lovely brightness to this simple, creamy dish.

Imagine your favorite sushi roll. Now picture it deconstructed and served in a bowl. Our version of this healthy Hawaiian staple known as poke (pronounced "POH-kay") calls for omega-3 packed salmon, rice, avocado, scallion and sesame seeds. It's low in calories, high in protein and super-easy to make.

Enjoy all the flavor of classic fish and chips, without the extra fat and oil. The fish is baked in the oven—but still nice and crispy thanks to the clever rice cereal coating.

Steaming the ingredients together in a neat parchment packet creates layers of flavor without adding much fat or salt. And with everything contained, cleanup is a breeze!

Buttery, garlicky shrimp is a classic combination, and thanks to a few adjustments this recipe makes it a healthy, high-protein one as well. Our version is loosely based on Hawaii’s wildly popular garlic shrimp, a food truck staple on O‘ahu’s North Shore. But instead of pan-frying the shrimp, we steam it, a healthy trick for tender, beautifully plump shrimp. We also add a full bunch of asparagus and replace the standard white rice with sweet potato noodles — sometimes called Korean glass noodles — for a delightfully tasty, chewy base. Besides loads of garlic, we toss the shrimp with the usual paprika and cayenne pepper but also sneak in a little fish sauce for depth of flavor. A generous amount of cubed butter dotted over everything bathes the dish for big, buttery flavor and aroma as it steams but keeps it nicely low in fat and calories. A garnish of chopped chile, parsley and fresh lemon ties everything together for a memorable one-pot meal you can feel fantastic about, 38 grams of protein and all!

Tuck salmon fillets, tomato, shallots, lemon and herbs into foil packets and bake for a super-flavorful, no-mess meal.

Inspired by Middle Eastern falafel, we’ve turned canned salmon into a next-level sandwich filling. We combine the salmon with canned chickpeas, warm spices and a generous helping of fresh herbs in a food processor, which does the lion’s share of the chopping and mixing. The patties are baked to avoid the mess of deep-frying but still come out crunchy from a coating of panko. Tuck the patties into warm pita along with pickles and fresh vegetables, then top with a generous drizzle of the lemony yogurt-tahini sauce.

Made up of scallops and cod, Rachael's tomato-based fish stew makes for a gorgeous make-ahead meal.

Halibut is a firm, low-fat and mild-flavored white fish — here, it's very simply prepared with a crunchy breadcrumb topping and served over a bed of sauteed Swiss chard.

Clams come from the ocean, so they have a natural salinity; chorizo is salted as well, so it's not necessary to add any salt to this easy parchment packet meal. The juices created during cooking season the kale and beans perfectly, while a splash of wine adds a bright burst to round out the flavors.

With 26 grams of protein per serving, these speedy tuna wraps will quickly become a healthy go-to in your house.