Healthy Fish and Shrimp Recipes on MyPlate

This light, easy weeknight dinner is worthy of a dinner party, but quick enough to still enjoy the precious few hours after work. If you're nervous about cooking skin-on salmon, don't worry. The key to stress-free fish cooking is to follow this recipe's instructions for pan-seared salmon. By properly heating the oil and allowing the salmon skin to crisp up, it makes a delicious crust and the skin releases easily.

Prep tip: If you have extra time before dinner, this salad benefits from an extra hour of marinating.

Get the recipe: Seared Salmon With Israeli Couscous

Here's a recipe that will win over even the pickiest eaters—kids and non-salmon eaters included. The trick is that the salmon is broiled, meaning a quick cooking time, buttery flaky results, and no fishy smell in the kitchen.

During the last couple minutes of broiling the salmon, brush it with a glaze made from brown sugar and low-sodium soy sauce or tamari. The sweet-salty sauce starts to caramelize on top of each fillet (and the sliced red onions cook alongside), turning irresistibly sticky and slightly crisp.

Get the recipe: Glazed Salmon With Broccoli Rice

A delicious fish dinner in less than six ingredients? Yes, it's possible. Fresh salmon filets need nothing more than salt and pepper to make them shine and sweet, while petite tomatoes burst with flavor after a speedy sauté in olive oil and dill. Your final secret weapon? A side of quick-cooking, tender couscous.

Get the recipe: Salmon with Sautéed Tomatoes

Crunchy romaine and cucumbers, juicy shrimp, and a creamy soy-mayo dressing are just a few of the reasons you'll love this delicious dinner salad recipe. It comes together in just 15 minutes, yet packs tons of flavor. In fact, the dressing might just become your go-to dipping sauce for everything from crudités to grilled salmon. Make sure to gently fold everything together so that the pieces of avocado stay intact.

Get the recipe: Japanese-Style Shrimp Salad.

Moist but crunchy. Impressive but simple. This dish benefits from a ridiculously straightforward cooking method: Instead of the time-consuming chore of breading and frying each individual crustacean, form two layers in a baking sheet and let a 425-degree oven do almost all the work.

Serving idea: While the shrimp bakes, cook some angel hair pasta, and toss the noodles with a bit of olive oil. Serve the shrimp over the pasta, with a lemon wedge on the side and some chopped fresh parsley as a garnish. After tasting the shrimp, you'll surely have more ideas of your own.

Get the recipe: Garlicky Baked Shrimp

Light, delicious, healthy, and easy. What more could you want... fast? It's got that, too. Whip up this weeknight delight in less than 30 minutes. And don't let "pappardelle" intimidate you: It's just a broad, flat pasta; so fettucine or really just about any pasta works just fine.

Get the recipe: Pappardelle With Shrimp and Asparagus

A lot of cooks will say they don't know how to cook fish, but that's a cover up for the real reason: it can be intimidating to sear skin-on fish fillets. No longer: Thanks to this foolproof method, perfectly crispy skin can be yours. The key is in following the steps to the letter—starting with patting the fish dry, actually following the timing, and giving the fillets enough heat and room in the pan to crisp up nicely. Keeping the skin-side down for 4 minutes is essential to getting the right amount of golden-brown color, so use a timer and trust!

Get the recipe: Crispy-Skinned Fish Fillets.

The key to getting a good sear on tilapia (and most pan-seared fish) is to pat very dry before cooking. If frozen, run them under cold tap water for a quick thaw (just a few minutes is all it takes). When dry, season both sides before cooking in  hot oil for a light, flavorful filet. Pair with a fruity salad, and this fish dish is ready in 20 minutes.

Get the recipe: Seared Tilapia With Watercress and Mango Salad.

This simple braised fish recipe inspired by Chraime, a North African dish with Sephardic roots. It combines a spiced tomato sauce with spinach, cod, and couscous but—rather than washing bunches of greens—just swap in frozen spinach. Time saved.

Poaching cod isn't just a foolproof method for easy fish-cooking, it also results in tender fillets that are evenly cooked. Smart. Better yet, any frozen white fish fillets—like sole, flounder, snapper, or wild Alaska pollock—work well here and are easy to find in frozen packs at the grocery store.

Finally, spooning the juices and fish atop fluffy couscous? It's not just tasty as can be, it stretches the meal further; making this recipe a keeper.

Get the recipe: Braised Fish With Spicy Tomato Sauce

Tex-Mex meets the coast. Luscious Gulf shrimp nestle on a bed of shredded cabbage slaw with a creamy mayo-based dressing and a punch of lime, all wrapped in a corn tortilla—or flour, make it your own! Top with your favorite jarred green tomatillo salsa for a quick, fun meal you can eat with your hands.

Get the recipe: Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Cooking fish can be intimidating, but in the case of this easy cod and tomato stew, you poach the fillets in broth, which allows them to cook slowly and evenly. Not to mention, the fish soaks up delicious coriander- and paprika-infused tomato broth.

If you're looking for an alternative to cod, wild Alaska pollock is delicate and similar in flavor and texture. Best part, it's super sustainable, meaning it's caught in ways that prevent overfishing. Wild Alaska pollock cuts are super nutritious too: high in vitamin B-12, a source of omega-3s, and an extra-lean protein.

Budget tip: Stretch this meal even further by adding a can of white beans or serve with olive-oil rubbed grilled bread.

Get the recipe: Spiced Cod-and-Tomato Stew With Gremolata

Transform two cans of beans into an elegant meal in under 30 minutes. Here the bean of choice is cannellini, but this dish works well with other varieties like gigante, cranberry beans, or even chickpeas. Combining garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, butter, and white wine means that each bite is slicked with delicious flavor.

Get the recipe: Buttery Shrimp With Marinated White Beans.

It's a well-kept secret: Healthiest dinners are often the quickest. Case in point, this delicious tuna recipe that only takes 20 minutes. Start by stirring together a flavorful salsa-esque salad made from cherry tomatoes with capers, parsley, and Castelvetranos (a mild, buttery green olive). Next, the tuna gets a short sear, and finally, you'll use that same pan to whisk up a mustardy shallot vinaigrette.

P.S. Keep that salad combination in your back pocket to spoon over grilled chicken breasts, baked tofu, or seared steaks. 

Get the recipe: Seared Tuna With Tomato-Olive-Caper Salad.