The Best Fish to Eat
Would you like to add more fish to your diet? Fish is good for you to eat because it contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and nutrients that can help keep you healthy. Not only does it taste good and offer health benefits, but it’s also typically low in calories, meaning you can eat more of it without going over your calorie intake limit for the day.
If you want to add more fish to your diet but you’re unsure which fish is best to eat, use this list as a convenient guide to make the best selections while shopping for fish. You want to make sure you’re grabbing healthy and flavorful options that you can easily prepare at home. In case you missed this post, Easy To Make Dinner Rolls For Two
Wusthof 1040103818 Classic Fillet Knife, 7-Inch
Salmon
One of the best types of fish to include in your diet is salmon. It’s flavorful, easy to prepare, and even easier to find in local grocery stores. You’ll need to know that there are different types of salmon, some of which are better than others.
For example, wild-caught Pacific salmon is better than farm-raised Atlantic salmon because it’s more natural. No matter which one you choose to eat, they both offer several health benefits, such as:
- It contains omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your health.
- It’s an excellent source of B vitamins.
- It’s also an excellent source of protein. If you’re trying to eat less chicken and most all meat in general, salmon is a great alternative.
Along with the health benefits, there are a few other good reasons to get salmon. It’s not too expensive, and you might be able to get it at discounted prices at some stores, such as Aldi.
There are also plenty of ways to prepare salmon. You can season it and bake it with vegetables, pan-sear it on the stove, or even pop it on the grill. It goes great with many sides, including pasta, rice, roasted veggies, and much more.
Cod
Cod is a popular type of fish that many people enjoy. If you want something that has an incredibly fresh flavor, cod is a great choice. If you consume this flavorful fish, you’ll get to enjoy the vitamins and nutrients it offers, including vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and iodine.
Not only is it healthy for you, but it’s also flavorful, and there are a lot of ways to make it at home. You don’t need to be a professional cook to prepare delicious cod successfully. These are some great ways to make it:
- Garlic Butter Pan-Fried Cod Fish
- Lemon Baked Cod
- Baked Cajun Garlic Butter Cod
- Grilled Cod
These are only a handful of ways to prepare this incredible variety of fish. You can also serve it with some of your favorite side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, white rice, cauliflower, or even roasted vegetables. Of course, it goes with a lot of great options when you’re trying your best to eat healthy meals.
Rainbow Trout
If you want to enjoy a healthy and delicious type of fish, be sure to give rainbow trout a try. It’s the perfect entree to serve with vegetables and other side dishes, including roasted potatoes, broccoli, or carrots. Rainbow trout is an incredible choice because it’s full of protein and is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
It also contains essential vitamins and nutrients that support brain development and eye health. So, if you want to get healthier, adding this trout to your diet is a good idea! While most people bake their rainbow trout, you can prepare it on the grill or in your handy fry pan. Put some butter in the pan and choose whether you want to fry the fish with or without the skin. I’ve had it both ways, and I like mine skinless, but others enjoy the skin saying is enhances the flavor. Try both ways and you make a choice for future trout meals.
Pacific Halibut
Pacific halibut is a top choice when you want a light and refreshing entree to enjoy for lunch or dinner. It has this incredible taste that pairs perfectly with vegetables, salads, and so much more. The great thing about this fish is that it contains essential vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium.
It has everything you could want in your fish. You can marinate it or season it and then sear it in a pan, grill it, or bake it in the oven, depending on how you like it.
It tends to taste best when combined with fresh lemon slices, black pepper, and a bit of olive oil, but you can use any of your favorite seasonings and ingredients.
Mark had a chance to go Halibut fishing in Alaska a number of years ago with his brother-in-law and his family. What a great time, with one of the fish weighing in at 65 lbs. Mark said they don’t “fight” the line much, and it felt like you’d hooked an old tire. They actually brought a bunch of fish home and split it up between them. It was wonderful to eat really fresh halibut recently caught. Mark and I like to put a little tarter sauce on many of our fish entrees.
Tuna
One of the most popular types of fish in existence is tuna. People love it! You can buy it fresh or in a can and then prepare it. Of course, if you’re buying it fresh, it’s even better for you.
However, there isn’t anything wrong with buying and using canned tuna. While tuna is good, you don’t want to overdo it. Try to limit yourself due to the magnesium and mercury levels in tuna. It’s OK to eat it twice or three times a week without overdoing it!
You can bake tuna, add it to casseroles with pasta, veggies, and cheese, or even combine it with mayo and pasta to make a tuna macaroni salad. Mark and I will also mix up the tuna with mayonnaise or Miracle Whip and fix toasted tuna sandwiches. They’re great with some chips and dip!
Sardines
A lot of people turn their noses to the idea of eating sardines because of the smell, but they’re super good for you, and they taste good, too! It’s an incredible source of the B12 vitamin, but it also is an excellent source of vitamin D, keeping you healthy and in far better condition than before if you start to eat it more often.
So don’t let the smell keep you from trying sardines. There are dozens of great recipes on the internet that allow you to make wholesome and flavorful meals using sardines as a critical ingredient.
When Mark and I first got married we were looking for healthy and cheap meals. I couldn’t do it, but Mark would eat them right out of the can. It’s hard to believe now, but back in the early 70’s you could buy 10 cans for $1.00. Unbelievable!
Final Word
When you want to add more fish to your diet, it’s essential to know which types of fish are best to buy and prepare. This list consists of some of the best fish to eat for lunch or dinner. We didn’t highlight some other fish options like catfish, bass, and yellow or bluegill perch, which are often available at the store, or caught on your favorite bait for those who like to “drown a worm.”
Some people even like to add some fish to the meals they’re eating for breakfast, such as cod with eggs and rice or tuna with bread and bacon. No matter which options you decide to try, you can start reaping the health benefits that come with eating more fish throughout the week. May God Bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Salmon AdobeStock_130875640 by Jacek Chabraszewski, Cod AdobeStock_114370436 by fahrwasser, Rainbow Trout AdobeStock_72309472 by la_vanda, Fresh Halibut Steaks AdobeStock_325750853 by fudio, Sliced Steak of Tuna AdobeStock_169782279 by FomaA, Sardines AdobeStock_116721587 by ALF photo, Grilled Fish Dorado AdobeStock_250982073 by Nelea Reazanteva
Salmon is the absolute best for my body. I can literally feel a difference within a short time. I even put back a little by freeze drying it. I couldn’t get enough of it in Alaska.
Tuna is my number 2 followed by mackerel in the individual packs. I like those after a workout or hard work.
Of course we eat bass, catfish, crappie and perch round here. The trout are stocked cause they can’t survive the heat but they aren’t as good as the ones I caught in Germany.
I make Swai bout once a month pan cooked with onions and sweet peppers in butter seasoned with head country.
I miss living close enough to the lake and river to trot line. I always had a freezer full of catfish and I’d troll coming back in for white bass.
Hi Matt, I remember you said you freeze-dried some salmon. We’ve all heard “food is thy medicine”. We have largemouth bass here, and various varieties of trout here within 5 miles. That Swai sounds delicious! Having a freezer full of catfish sounds amazing!! Linda
We love all kinds of fish at our house. Husband is a good fisherman and he and his buddy catch catfish, crappie, and bass although not all at once! I always have several packages of fish in the freezer. We do buy salmon on occasion and he puts it in the smoker and it is wonderful that way. I’m also one of those girls who can eat sardines right out of the tin, but husband won’t!
Hi Paula, oh my gosh, the sardines out of the can, my husband loves those!! You are so lucky to be able to catch so many different types of fish! I love smoked fish! Linda
Growing up here in Colorado with two parents who loved to fish, we had trout or German Browns frequently. Somewhere during those years, I ate one that didn’t taste well, and as a result, I hated fish except for canned tuna and salmon. Now that I’ve changed my diet to way healthy eating (Mediterranean) , I’m having to “learn” to like fish. So far, I’ve found that Mahi-Mahi, doesn’t have a fishy taste the way I cook it. I use Cod to make Sonoran Fish Taco’s (which I dearly love) with Tzatazi sauce, and will on occasion fix Salmon the same way I do the Mahi-Mahi. Of course I’ll eat Shrimp, Crab and Lobster, lol. As long as I can disguise the taste of fish, it’s ok. Way better than chicken, which I don’t like at all, lol.
Hi Pam, I like some fish as well but it has to be mild or not fishy tasting! LOL! I have heard eating the Mediterranean way is the healthiest way to eat! Love it! Linda
Dear Linda: I enjoy your videos.
About this one I have two comments: Salmon from factories are not recommended.
Tuna is high in mercury, not Mg.
Best regards,
Hi Jose, thank you for your kind words about my videos!! You are so nice. Great reminder on tuna, and salmon from factories. I need to add that to the tuna section in addition to the magnesium. Thank you, Linda
Hi Linda, Thank you for your comprehensive words.
Hi Jose, you are so welcome, Linda
I’ll ditto what Matt says, but I’d put Halibut at the top of my list with Mahi Mahi. We also eat the much more affordable Tilapia and Swai. If i ever convince Jane to let me convert our 450 gallon spa to an aquaponics setup, tilapia and swai would be the fish of choice, dictated by the water temperatures I could maintain in the spa. I like trout better but they wouldn’t survive in our warm water–our water pipes are so close to the surface in the summer I can take a “cold” water only shower because the water is so hot.
Hi Ray, oh now I have the giggles, the spa!! Oh my gosh! That’s actually a good idea but Jane needs to approve it!! LOL! Keeping it cold would be an issue for sure! I have thought about that for our swimming pool. But we are selling our house now, so we will not have a pool. Halibut and Mahi Mahi are my favorite ones! Linda
Linda,
I also love cod, especially when it comes in the form of fish and chips. I was raised on fried catfish and bullhead and love them to this day–just hard to find anyone who can cook them as well as my mom and grandma did. Maybe that was because those fish had just come out of the river where my grandpa and I caught them.
We have halibut, mahi mahi, cod, trout and tilapia in the freezer right now, and now I’m tasting fish. If we weren’t having BBQ ribs tonight I’d be thawing some out. Life is good when you have good food available.
Hi Ray, ribs????? Oh my gosh, life is good! A freezer full of fish and meat sounds awesome!! I love to eat fish and chips with a lot of tartar sauce!! Now I’m hungry!! Linda
Dear Linda:
You might want to make a comment about tilapia. You really need to put them in a kiddy pool for a couple days and feed them cornmeal before you kill and freeze them or eat them. They are bottom feeders and and with the pollution these days (I am not talking about cars either) you really do need to clean them out those and crappy. My grandmother used a big tin tub and did this and my dad when he was a boy had to change the water and feed them each day until the water was not nasty anymore. I don’t know how my grandmother fixed them except my father said she baked them.
Another fish you forgot is mackerel. My husband does not eat salmon (got some in a restaurant once that was bad and still won’t eat it. But he loves mackerel.
The best fish is fresh caught. Wish I could go fishing. I can remember my dad and I going fishing when I was a little girl and bringing home enough fish to put in the freezer so we had some all winter. I love fresh caught catfish but even if I had a license to fish getting down to the water in a electric cart would be hard to do. Don’t like farm raised catfish they feed them chicken feed. YUCK!!!!!!!!!! Did you know you can eat many of the big fish out in the Ocean can be eaten? My husband talked about eating fresh caught fish when he was in service. Said it was the best fish he ever had.
You need to include the shellfish that are eatable in the list also
Love
Jackie
HI Jackie, oh great ideas you shared, thank you!! I love shrimp with shrimp cocktail!! LOL! Yum! Love you, Linda
Add another vote for canned sardines! I found some on sale for $1/can a while back–smoked!–and laid in a whole case. And I’ve loved canned salmon since I was little too–still love the bones to crunch. One of our favorite comfort foods is salmon chowder (and once I discovered hubby picking out the bones I’d lovingly shared–I now get them *all*).
We are *so* fortunate here in having the N.H. Community Sea Food, run like the traditional CSA–pay up front for the weekly amount you want (and for however many weeks), and pick it up at any of a large number of pre-determined locations. Everything is caught off the N.H. coast, and they send out a newsletter introducing the crews that bring them in as well as providing recipes. Haddock, of course, also cod, redfish, monk fish, hake, pollock, flounder, sole–even bluefin tuna once or twice a year (this week, in fact!) They also include shellfish as a separate order. I love it!
Hi Rhonda, WHAT??? You are so lucky!! That is so awesome to be able to order FRESH fish of all kinds ahead of time and then pick them up! Oh my gosh!! The salmon crunch story is the best ever!! I grew up with my mom making salmon cakes with the “crunch”, I picked them out!! Best comment ever, my friend! Linda
Hi Linda,
We used to eat eel right out of Sodus Bay in upstate NY. Skewered with kabobs sticks and baked in an oven until the fat stopped running off it and the skin crispy – yummy! We cleaned the eel by gutting and soaking in salt water, then Grandma would spice them right up her way (I wish I remembered). She called it her “depression supper” served with greens and veggies out of the garden and 1/4 cut potatoes deep fried on a wood stove. I miss my very dear Grandma, she was so good to me. I used to help her out on Summer vacations with her Mom&Pop grocery on the West side of the Bay near Conley’s Cove restaurant (oh, the clams and corn on the cob they served). I wonder if anyone on this list remembers her store and Conley’s Cove, and if the restaurant still operates. I left NY for Alabama in 1988, and miss the fishing so bad. Maybe someday before my time on Earth ends, I will visit my Grandma’s former store site near LeRoy Island bridge to see how it has changed. AND, go fishing there once again!
Hi Fred, oh I love hearing stories just like this one! I did not know you could eat eel, I never thought about it. It’s so fun to have memories of your dear grandma, that’s for sure. I love hearing about the clams and the corn on the cob. It would be so fun to sit around a fire and talk about all these stories and memories. It will never happen, so we share them here. Thank you for sharing with us, I love it! Linda bP.S. I hope you make it back to NY to see how the area has changed.
Hi Linda, count me as one of your sardine fans! You can get them in so many ways now. In water, olive oil, soy bean oil, mustard sauce, hot sauce!!! Now they come in as fillets. No bones or skin. Smell? If fish smells fishy it’s older. Someone mentioned smoked fish!!! YUM. It doesn’t get much better.
Stay safe and God Bless…
Hi Bill, oh my gosh, sardines are so popular!!! No bones??? Now we’re talking! Please stay safe and stay well! Linda
THE BEST fish comes in a RESTAURANT. I love a good fish fry, and it doesn’t even have to be a Friday or lent….but the smell of fish in my home….No Way!!!
Hi Chris, oh my gosh, I have the giggles, truth! I love it! I fixed cod tonight, my smells like fish, I totally get it. LOL! Oh, restaurants make the best fish, we know that! Linda