Oily Fish

About

Oily fish have a richer, stronger flavor than white fish. Classic pairings, such as gooseberry or horseradish with mackerel, cucumber with salmon, and watercress with trout, are chosen to cut through the fat, as is lemon, which also helps mask strong fishy aromas; cilantro and lime serve a similar role in Asian cooking. Briny ingredients such as capers, olives, prosciutto, and shellfish bring out the sweeter side of salty oily fish like mackerel, herring, sardines, and red mullet. This category also covers earthier freshwater and diadromous fish, including salmon, trout, grayling, and eel, as well as the meatier swordfish and tuna.

Pairs well with oily fish

• CiLemonA squeeze of lemon is a classic finish for deep-fried whitebait, a dish found in many forms worldwide: as fritters in New Zealand, spiced…
• EaPotatoIn the UK, fries pair with almost any fish except salmon and trout, though declining wild stocks may change what's typically sold in…
• SuEggFresh seared tuna in a salade niçoise lacks the flaky, crumbly texture of canned tuna, which blends more thoroughly with the dressing, egg…
• SuGarlicThis dish, adapted from Patricia Wells, treats tuna the way the classic chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic treats poultry -- swordfish works…
• WoAlmondTrout with almonds is a classic, if divisive, combination-some cooks consider it an overly simple pairing, while others regard it as an…
• CiGingerThe pickled ginger (gari) served with sushi is meant as a palate cleanser between different fish, not to be eaten alongside a piece of…
• EaMushroomMushroom's earthy, musty character suits freshwater oily fish well, finely chopped shiitake pairs nicely with salmon, which also appears…
• MeBeefThe Italian dish vitello tonnato is thin slices of cold cooked veal in a tuna mayonnaise sauce, traditionally made with canned rather than…
• BeMintMint appears with oily fish across several cuisines: eighteenth-century English cookery stuffed mackerel with chopped mint, parsley and…
• MaShellfishRed mullet balances saltiness, sweetness and a meatiness between the delicacy of salmon and the boldness of mackerel; Pliny compared its…
• MePorkWriter Norman Douglas, in Venus in the Kitchen, describes eel as pairing well with pork since eel occupies a similar role among fish as…
• GrAniseAnise-scented herbs, spices and liqueurs pair readily with fish, a simple version is poached salmon with fresh tarragon mayonnaise.
• GrChiliA common pairing across Indian and Southeast Asian sauces.
• GrAvocadoThe California roll, developed in 1960s Los Angeles by sushi chefs Ichiro Mashita and Teruo Imaizumi, substituted avocado for raw tuna,…
• CiLimeLemon cuts through the fattiness of oily fish, but lime's sharper, spicier edge works better on richer varieties such as fried mackerel or…
• EaCuminCumin's assertiveness makes it a good match for rich, oily tuna without being overwhelmed by it: a cumin-and-oil rub followed by a quick…
• SuOnionHawaiian poke marinates raw tuna cut into small cubes with various seasonings, traditionally seaweed and roasted candlenuts, though onion…
• GrParsleyA cold parsley sauce for fried mackerel or herring can be made by folding finely chopped parsley into whipped heavy cream with a dash of…
• GrPeaNew England tradition holds that gardeners plant peas by Patriots' Day (April 19) so they're ready for a traditional Independence Day meal…
• BeRosemaryRosemary's strong flavor pairs well with robust oily fish like sardines and mackerel, each tempering the other's intensity.
• GrCucumberFreshly caught smelt, a small fish, has a distinct cucumber smell (some compare it instead to violets or cut grass); salmon similarly…
• EaBeetIn Scandinavian and Baltic cooking, beet is commonly paired with salty fish, especially herring, along with onion, potato and apple,…
• BeThymeGrayling (Thymallus thymallus), a freshwater oily fish, has a natural aroma reminiscent of thyme when freshly caught, with a flavor…
• GrDillScandinavian and Baltic cooking pairs dill's clean flavor with oily fish in many forms, most famously gravlax, salmon cured with sugar,…
• SuAsparagusMarsh samphire, sometimes called "sea" or "poor man's" asparagus, is served the same way, with butter or hollandaise, often alongside…
• MuCaperMethyl isothiocyanate, a mustard-like compound found in capers and also in horseradish (a classic partner for oily fish), explains why…
• FrRhubarbRhubarb, like sour gooseberry, cuts effectively through the oiliness of mackerel.
• MuWatercressTrout naturally feed among watercress, drawn less to the leaves than to the tiny crustaceans living in its thickets, making the two a…
• MeLiverRed mullet liver, sometimes called the "woodcock of the sea" for how highly it's prized, may be served as a pâté or pounded into a sauce,…
• MuHorseradishHorseradish is a classic sauce for simply cooked oily fish, is used to cure herring, and, in the form of wasabi, provides a sharp contrast…