Fried Fish is one of the most common main dishes served all around the world. When you host an event, even if you decide to serve meat as the main dish, you also have to be thoughtful enough to prepare a dish made of fish because there may be guests who prefer seafood over meat. Normally, the types of fish such as tilapia, touts, salmon and halibut are great when seasoned and fried. Fish is usually battered with a mixture of flour, eggs, herbs and spices and fried making it crispy on the outside and soft and juicy in the inside by baking in the oven, frying in the pan or grilling.
Whether you decide to serve fried fish for a special event or a family dinner, you need to pair it with some filling side dishes, as seafood, especially fish is considered to be lighter than meat. Listed below are some flavourful sides for fried fish that you can surprise your family members and guests with.
Vegetable Side Dishes for Fried Fish
When you serve fried fish as the main dish, you need to accompany it with vegetarian side dishes in order to balance out the nutrition in your meal. Here are some vegetable dishes that you can serve as sides.
1. Lemon-Tahini Salad with Lentils, Beets and Carrots
Kale, carrots, onions and cooked beets and lentils combined with a delicious blend of honey, lemon juice and tahini and seasoned with salt and pepper is a tasty and colourful vegetarian side dish to serve with fried fish.
2. Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Barley Risotto
If you are looking for a creamy and filling side dish, this will be your go-to dish. Portobello is one of the most delicious species of mushrooms and when filled with barley risotto, it will be a side that nobody would reject. Mushroom caps are roasted and filled with barley risotto and kale or spinach. They are sent to the table after garnishing with parmesan cheese, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Portobello mushrooms are low in sodium and a good source of protein.
3. Roasted Cauliflower with Pomegranate Seeds, Mint and Roasted Almonds
Oven-roasted cauliflower tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and combined with fresh pomegranate seeds, roasted almond nuts and mint leaves is a light, healthy as well as a vibrantly colourful vegetable side dish to pair with fried fish.
Potato Side Dishes for Fried Fish
Fried fish and potatoes are a great combination that everyone adores. Fish and potatoes are such a matching duo that you can’t even think of serving fried fish without a potato dish from its side. Here are some delicious potato sides you can serve with fried fish.
4. Baked Potato Wedges
Crispy on the outside, super moist in the inside, home-made baked potato wedges is an irresistibly delicious side dish that is easy to make. You just have to season the potatoes cut into wedges with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and bake them until they become crispy. This is also a healthy alternative for deep-fried French fries.
5. Potato Salad with Tahini Sauce
Boiled and sliced potatoes and green onion are mixed with a delicious blend of tahini sauce, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, almond milk, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dill, salt and pepper to make this scrumptious potato salad. As this recipe doesn’t involve mayonnaise, this is also good for vegan people.
6. Lemon-flavoured Greek Potatoes
A side dish with citrusy taste is a must when you serve fried fish. This lemony Greek potato recipe will give you the sour taste you are looking for. A mixture of water, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper is poured over potatoes cut into small pieces and after covering the potatoes with a foil, they are baked until the potatoes become crispy and brown on the outside.
Healthy Sides for Fried Fish
Taste and health should go together. When you prepare food for your loved ones, the most important thing that you should be concerned about is their health. These are some healthy sides you can accompany with when serving fried fish.
7. Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower is a healthy alternative for those who don’t want to pile up their plates with rice. Cauliflowers separated into florets are finely chopped using a food processor until they look like white rice. Then, it is tempered using olive oil, seasoned with some salt and pepper and served warm.
8. Herbed Quinoa
First, quinoa is cooked in chicken stock and lemon juice. Then, boiled quinoa is tossed with a yummy mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme and lemon zest. Finally, the prepared dish is seasoned with salt and pepper. This is a gluten-free dish high in protein.
9. Couscous Salad with Mint and Pecans
Cooked couscous, caramelized onion, toasted pecans, fresh chopped mint leaves are tossed with olive oil and vinegar. Then, garnished with fresh mint leaves. This is done before sending the dish to the table. Couscous is easy to prepare and good for your immune system. It also helps to lower the cancer risks. This healthy salad is perfect for your vegan guests.
Conclusion
Whether you serve a single person or host a large party, you need to serve creative and delicious side dishes with fried fish. Even though many people believe that it is only chips or French fries that go with fried fish, if you do a little research in the culinary world, you can find many vibrant and delicious side dishes that can be served with fried fish. This guide featuring vegetable side dishes, potato-based dishes and healthy sides that go with fried fish will help you plan out your menu. If you wish to prepare fried fish as the main dish for your next party or weekend family dinner, try out these dishes and surprise your family and guests!
If you are considering of steaming your fish, you can check out the recipes from this post.
