Get easy, delicious side dishes for fish in this complete recipe guide! You’ll find 22+ sides for fish in this inspirational round-up.
If you’ve planned your fish entrée but not your side dish, we’ve got it covered! These recipes are tried and true family favorites.
Easy to make with simple ingredients, you’re sure to find the perfect wholesome side dishes to complement your dinner!
We all know how it goes, right? You might have a certain recipe in mind for dinner… you feel like we’ve got it covered with a game plan and maybe you’ve even pulled your protein out of the freezer to prepare.
Just before you get started, though, you realize you haven’t given your side dishes a second thought! That’s where this recipe guide comes in. We’re covering all the best side dishes for fish, so you can refer to this post at any time and find exactly what you’re searching for!
From pasta side dishes to roasted or sautéed veggies, potatoes and more, you’re sure to find the right option for your family.
Use the drop down Table of Contents menu to navigate this post. Be sure to pin it and save it for later, too!
Sides for Fish
While we don’t eat fish every week in our home, we do enjoy it and I’d like to work on more recipes for you! This lemon pepper salmon is always a hit, and it serves up so simply.
We tend to serve fish with simple side salads or roasted veggies. It creates a clean, nutritionally balanced meal that is low in carbs and calories.
However, fish can be served in such a wide variety of ways! Serve it over rice, serve it in tortillas for fish tacos, or alongside pasta or potatoes.
First, a few of my favorite tips and the answers to some commonly asked questions.
Tips
- A side salad is a wholesome, nutritious way to start a meal or serve as a side dish – it’s low in carbs and calories and a great way to get your veggies in.
- Serve a few vegetarian sides to cover a variety of lifestyles, no matter what type of fish you serve!
- White wine tends to serve beautifully with all types of fish.
- Don’t forget dessert! Find all my favorite dessert recipes here.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a long upheld kitchen rule of thumb that fish and cheese shouldn’t be served together. This belief probably came from the fact that fish is so delicate and flaky, and cheese is strong and often intense… so the two don’t exactly mesh all the time.
However, many pasta dishes with Parmesan (and more) balance beautifully with fish. This includes side dishes, too – you don’t have to skip the cheese!
In restaurants, you’ll often find that fish and seafood dishes are served with green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, and leafy salads. While corn isn’t actually a vegetable, it’s a frequent contender too, as the sweetness balances beautifully with light and flaky fish.
Side Dishes for Fish
Pour a glass of white wine and serve a beautiful dinner with one of these wholesome, delicious side dishes!
Salads
A light and easy salad is the perfect way to serve a low carb, low calorie healthy side dish for fish.
Roasted Beet Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
This roasted beet salad is not only gorgeous to serve, it’s more delicious with each and every bite! Loaded with incredibly tender roasted root veggies, it’s a restaurant level salad you’re going to absolutely crave!
Amazing Italian Salad With Italian Dressing
A simple Italian Salad recipe, St. Louis style. Mix up this delicious, memorable salad with fresh and flavorful Italian Dressing in less than 10 minutes!
This Italian Salad is filled with crisp lettuce, red onion, artichokes, pimentos and grated parmesan to ensure each bite is perfectly covered in Italian Salad Dressing.
Classic Cabbage Salad
The perfect restaurant inspired side to go along with fried fish entrees, or other fried seafood style dishes. Learn the secrets to the light and tangy cabbage salad dressing in this fresh and fabulous side dish!
Arugula Salad
This is an easy and refreshing recipe for an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. This simple salad is so perfect for the warmer weather, and is perfect to serve as a simple side or appetizer.
Insalata Mista
A light and refreshing classic Insalata Mista with shaved parmesan, grape tomatoes, and pine nuts tossed in a delcious balsamic vinaigrette. This mixed salad goes great with just about every entree!
Vegetable Side Dishes for Fish
Wholesome and nutritious, many of these veggie side dishes make it easy to keep your dietary and lifestyle needs on track!
Seasoned Green Beans
Learn about the best seasonings for green beans, and how to make the most incredible seasoned green beans as the ultimate side dish!
When it comes to side dishes, I love using seasonal produce that is super fresh and full of family-friendly flavor. Of course, they have to be quick and easy too. These easy seasoned green beans tick all the boxes!
Brussels Sprouts
This Crispy Brussel Sprouts Recipe is bursting with flavor! Brussel Sprouts with pancetta and shallots are sautéed into a fragrant, textural side dish that will leave your family begging for more.
Flavorful Baked Artichoke
Baked Artichoke is one of the easiest side dishes and ways to get your veggies in! These roasted artichoke are so delicious on it’s own or tossed into a salad. It’s not only delicious, but a good source of fiber, Vitamin C and Vitamin K!
Italian Vegetables
Served alongside any of your favorite dinner entrees, Italian Vegetables are seasoned and oven-roasted to perfection. Italian Roasted Vegetables are rustic, simple and so beautiful to serve! Of course they make one of the best Italian Side Dishes too.
Low Carb Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
An easy Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes recipe is all you need to replace carbs with veggies. It’s so simple and absolutely delicious. With a few tips and tricks (shh…it’s cream cheese!) along the way, no one will ever know it’s mashed cauliflower!
Cauliflower rice is another excellent option as a low carb fish side dish.
Easy Homemade Onion Rings Dipped In Beer Batter
Is there anything better than onion rings, hush puppies and coleslaw at a coastal seafood restaurant?
These easy Homemade Onion Rings get dipped in beer batter and fried to golden brown perfection. With a few tips and tricks along the way (hint – it’s light as air!), learn how to make incredibly crispy onion rings in minutes.
Grilled Corn On The Cob
Of course, corn isn’t technically a veggie – but it’s so delicious! Indoors our out, this grilled sweet corn is the ultimate side dish. Cooked in a skillet for stove top corn on the cob, or grilled more traditionally, it’s made with just two ingredients.
Even better? It’s ready to serve in less than 10 minutes. It’s delightfully smoky, juicy and full of flavor whether it’s cooked on the grill no matter how you cook it!
Potatoes
Much like rice and pasta, these side dishes are packed with nutrients and round out a meal in a filling, family friendly way.
Grilled Baked Potatoes
A perfect and classic fish side dish! Baked potatoes on the grill are so much better than your oven – they have a perfectly moist, soft and fluffy interior but are incredibly crispy and salty on the outside.
Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes
Shallots are type of onion that are rich and sweet – they are not as strong as a yellow, red or white onion and have less crunch, which makes them perfect for caramelizing. These incredible mashed potatoes are perfect for serving alongside fish.
Gratin Dauphinois
Gratin Dauphinois is a traditional French casserole made with thinly sliced potatoes, cream and gruyere. It’s an incredibly luxurious and indulgent potato bake side dish!
Sure to impress your dinner guests, this potatoes dauphinois recipe is easy enough for a weeknight but delightfully special for the holidays.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
These quick and easy grilled sweet potatoes in foil make an excellent side dish for all your favorite barbeque entrees! They are healthy, savory and so easy to customize to every individual’s tastes.
Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes
Smashed Red Potatoes are boiled, smashed, and baked with olive oil, cheese and bacon until crisp and topped with sour cream and chives for an irresistible and memorable appetizer!
Truffle Fries – Easy Oven Baked Gourmet Fries
Truffle Fries are a fun and easy twist on french fries that are full of irresistible flavor! A drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan, parsley, and sea salt make these oven-baked fries absolutely heavenly!
Pasta
And finally, pasta! We can’t talk about side dishes without discussing pasta! Pasta and seafood are a classic, timeless combination. Just avoid heavy red sauces or anything that competes with delicate, flaky fish.
White Wine Sauce
Bursting with fresh flavor, this is an incredibly easy white wine sauce recipe that is perfect for pasta, seafood and chicken dishes. Make it tonight – start to finish in less than 15 minutes!
Garlic Parmesan Sauce
This garlic parmesan sauce is unbelievably quick and flavorful. It comes together in just five minutes from start to finish and serves beautifully with fish and all types of seafood.
With just a few minutes of effort you’ll be creating something delicious – no bottled sauces or dressings required!
Lemon Pepper Sauce
There’s nothing quite as vibrant, summery and flavorful as lemon pepper sauce to add to pasta, seafood and more! This sauce creates a fast and easy lemon pepper pasta that is truly unforgettable- filled with perfectly balanced soft essence of lemon flavor.
White Wine Lemon Caper Sauce
This is a white wine lemon caper sauce that’s ready in 10 minutes and works with a variety of protein and pasta dishes. Crisp, citrusy, creamy and fragrant, you’ll want to serve it all summer long!
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