Most people who say they do not like fish have mostly eaten it overcooked. Fish has almost no connective tissue and very little fat compared to anything else on this site, which means it has no buffer. A chicken thigh will absorb four extra minutes and shrug. A fillet turns from translucent and tender to dry and chalky inside about ninety seconds, and nothing you do afterward brings it back. That single fact is behind every technique on this page: high heat and short contact, or gentle heat and close attention, and a thermometer or a fork test rather than a timer you set and trusted.
Salmon
The most forgiving fish on the page, and still easy to take too far.
Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
The plank is insulation as much as flavor. It buffers the fillet from direct flame, which is exactly what salmon needs on a grill. Soak it properly or it becomes fuel.
Baked Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame and Green Onion
A glaze with this much sugar wants a moderate oven, not a hot one. Brush it on in stages rather than all at once so it layers instead of scorching.
Blackened Salmon Over Zoodles
Blackening is a spice technique, not a burnt one. The pan needs to be genuinely hot and the fillet genuinely dry, or the crust steams instead of setting.
Fish tacos
The best argument for cooking fish on a weeknight, and the fastest thing here.
Blackened Fish Tacos with Kinder’s Blackened Seasoning
Firm white fish, hot pan, two minutes a side. Everything else is assembly, so have the tortillas warm and the slaw made before the fish goes in.
Lemon Pepper Fish Tacos
Lighter than a blackened version and more dependent on the squeeze at the end. Do not skip the acid; it is doing the work the spice does elsewhere.
Pan-Seared Fish Tacos al Pastor
Al pastor seasoning against white fish, which sounds unlikely and works because the pineapple and chile were always the point rather than the pork.
Skillet, plank and shell
White fish and scallops, where the pan does most of the thinking.
Lemon Pepper Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
A crust does two useful things on a lean fish: it adds texture and it shields the surface. Press it on firmly and leave the fillet alone once it is down.
Buttery Steakhouse Seared Scallops with Peppers and Grape Tomato Salad
Scallops are the shortest cook on this page. Dry them thoroughly, get the pan hot, and count in seconds rather than minutes.
Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Burgers
Hand-chopped rather than ground, so the patty keeps texture. Keep everything cold right up to the pan or it falls apart on the flip.
The Rules of the Fillet
The second thing worth knowing is that fish wants acid and salt more than it wants elaborate sauce. A fillet seasoned properly and squeezed with lime is a finished dish. That is why so much of this page is tacos, plank and skillet work rather than anything involving a reduction. Shrimp has its own page because it is a different cook with a different failure mode, and there is enough of it in the library to stand alone. This page is the parent: salmon, white fish, scallops and everything that comes off a plank or out of a hot pan.
Every fish and seafood recipe on FlavorMade
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Taco Seasoned Mahi Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa
25 min Taco seasoned mahi mahi tacos with mango salsa — pan-seared with Spanglish Asadero, 25 minutes start to finish. Firm crust, bright salsa, corn tortillas.
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Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stir Fry
30 min Sweet and sour shrimp stir fry built on Kinder’s sauce — charred bell peppers, fresh pineapple, and bold seasoned shrimp glazed in 30 minutes.
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Surf & Turf Skewers
35 min Surf and turf skewers recipe: sirloin and shrimp seasoned with Kinder’s All Purpose, finished with a caramelized BBQ glaze. Ready in 35 minutes.
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Surf and Turf Burrito with Kinder’s Fajita Blend Seasoning
35 min Surf and turf burrito with Kinder’s Fajita Blend — rib eye steak, grilled shrimp, peppers, and guac pressed crispy on the grill. Ready in 35 minutes.
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Shrimp and Steak Fajitas with Kinder’s Fajita Sauce
35 min Shrimp and steak fajitas built on the flat top with Kinder’s Fajita Sauce. Two proteins, one pan, 35 minutes — here’s how the sequence works.
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Mexican BBQ Braided Smoked Salmon with Spanglish Asadero
50 min Mexican BBQ braided smoked salmon on a cedar plank — Spanglish Asadero seasoning, chimichurri finish, smoked to 145°F. Serves 4 in 50 minutes.
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Mediterranean Cod with Marinara Sauce and Spinach
35 min Mediterranean cod recipe poached in marinara sauce with zucchini, then plated over wilted garlic spinach. Under 30 minutes, no oven required.
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Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Butter Asparagus
35 min Lemon pepper shrimp pasta with garlic butter linguine and crisp asparagus. One skillet, 40 minutes. Don’t rush the sear — that’s where the flavor is.
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Sticky Grilled Salmon with Kinder’s Black Garlic BBQ Glaze
35 min Sticky grilled salmon with Kinder’s Hickory Brown Sugar rub and a two-stage Black Garlic BBQ glaze. Crisp skin, lacquered finish, 35 minutes.
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Kinder’s Garlic Butter Shrimp
35 min Garlic butter shrimp baked in one dish with Kinder’s Garlic Butter Seasoning, lemon, and rosemary. Ready in 35 minutes — serve over pasta or with crusty bread.
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Carne Asada Seasoned Tilapia with Mango Salsa
35 min Carne asada seasoned tilapia with mango salsa — pan-seared in a spiced flour crust with Spanglish Asadero, topped with chilled mango avocado salsa. 35 min.
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Blackened Shrimp Penne Pasta with Kinder’s Cali Blackened Rub
35 min Blackened shrimp penne pasta with Kinder’s Cali Blackened Rub — smoky crust, Parmesan cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. 35 minutes.
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Birria Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
10 hr 15 min Birria fish tacos with mango salsa — pan-seared cod or halibut with Spanglish Asadero birria seasoning and fresh mango salsa. Ready in 25 minutes.
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Baked Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
45 min Baked teriyaki salmon bowl glazed with Kinder’s Teriyaki Sauce, served over jasmine rice with crispy slaw and sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Ready in 45 minutes.
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Bacalao a la Vizcaina (Basque-Style Codfish Stew)
9 min Salt cod soaked and layered with potatoes, olives, raisins, and roasted peppers — this bacalao a la vizcaina simmers into a briny-sweet stew.
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Al Pastor Red Snapper A La Diabla
45 min Al pastor red snapper a la diabla — two whole fish rubbed with Spanglish Asadero Al Pastor Seasoning, baked and finished hot for charred, flaking skin.
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Surf & Turf Seasoned Shrimp Ceviche
1 hr 15 min Surf & Turf Seasoned Shrimp Ceviche made with Spanglish Asadero — acid-cured in fresh lemon juice, jalapeño heat, clean citrus. Ready in about an hour.
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Surf & Turf Guacamole Pepper Cheeseburger
50 min Surf and turf guacamole pepper cheeseburger with Spanglish Asadero — seasoned beef patty, grilled shrimp, charred peppers, pepper jack. Ready in 50 minutes.
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Lemon Pepper Grilled Shrimp with Kinder’s
35 min Lemon pepper grilled shrimp on skewers with Kinder’s seasoning — caramelized crust, 4–6 minutes over 500-degree grates. Serves 4 in 35 minutes.
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Lemon Pepper Grilled Shrimp Skewers
25 min Lemon pepper grilled shrimp skewers seasoned with Kinder’s Lemon Pepper — juicy, charred, and ready in 25 minutes. Works as a weeknight main or taco filling.
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Baked Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame and Green Onion
35 min Teriyaki salmon marinated in soy-mirin sauce and baked at 400°F until the glaze caramelizes. Wild salmon, 20-minute marinade, done in 35 minutes.
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Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeño Crema
35 min Tequila lime shrimp tacos with jalapeño crema — pan-seared shrimp hit the skillet hot, char in two minutes, and land in toasted corn tortillas.
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Tequila Lime Shrimp Ceviche
35 min Tequila lime shrimp ceviche with fresh lime, cucumber, avocado, and jalapeño. The acid does the cooking — shrimp is firm and ready in 30 minutes.
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Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Burgers
35 min Teriyaki salmon burgers with a sesame-seared crust, quick-pickled jalapeños, and a sweet-hot glaze. Pan-seared and ready in under 45 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when fish is done?
Look for the flesh turning from translucent to opaque, and flake it gently with a fork at the thickest point. It should separate into layers but still look moist where it splits. For a thermometer, 125 to 130 degrees for salmon that stays slightly rosy in the middle, and about 140 for firm white fish. Pull it a few degrees early either way, because it keeps cooking after it leaves the heat.
Why does my fish stick to the grill?
Three causes, usually all at once. The grates were not hot enough, the fish was not dry enough, or it got moved too early. Preheat until the grates are properly hot, oil the fish rather than the grill, and then leave it completely alone. Fish releases itself when the crust forms, and every attempt to check before that tears the surface. Skin-on fillets go skin side down first and give you a margin.
Fresh or frozen fish?
Frozen is often the better buy, and that surprises people. Most fish is flash frozen on the boat within hours of the catch, while fish at the counter labeled fresh may have been thawed days earlier. Buy frozen with confidence, thaw it overnight in the fridge rather than in water or a microwave, and dry it very thoroughly before it meets any heat.
What white fish should I use for tacos?
Anything firm enough to hold together after a hard sear. Cod, halibut, mahi mahi, snapper and tilapia all work, and the recipes here are largely interchangeable across them. Avoid the delicate flaky ones like sole, which fall apart the moment you try to move them. Thickness matters more than species: about an inch gives you enough margin to build a crust without drying the middle.
More from FlavorMade
- Shrimp Recipes: the shrimp half of this page, and there is a lot of it
- Taco Recipes: every other taco on the site
- Grilling Recipes: for the plank and the skewers
- Kinder’s Recipes: the seasonings used throughout