18 Baked Fish Recipes to Make All Year

Spice Roasted Halibut with Herbs and Tahini Salad
Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Heather Claire Spollen

Whether you're a fan of salmon, branzino, tilapia, or sea bass, we've got you covered with these sumptuous baked fish dishes. Try the salt-baked method with recipes from Thomas Keller, Michael Voltaggio, and José Andrés, bake citrus-seasoned cod in banana leaves for an especially bright flavor, or prepare an entire salmon-centered meal using a single sheet pan. These are our best baked fish recipes.

01 of 18

Roasted Soy-Citrus Chilean Sea Bass

Roasted Soy-Citrus Sea Bass
Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Jessica Thomas ; Susan Mitchell

This tender, flaky oven-roasted Chilean sea bass is the headliner on musician Patrice Rushen's holiday table. To make it, Rushen bakes butter-rubbed fillets in a citrus-forward mixture of freshly juiced oranges, ponzu, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, which infuses the fish with a lovely flavor without overwhelming it.

02 of 18

Sizzling Garlic Salmon with Sheet Pan Potatoes

Sizzling Garlic Salmon with Sheet Pan Potatoes
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

For this sheet pan dinner, baby potatoes, red onion, and spring onions get a head start in a hot oven before they're joined by a side of salmon, slathered with mustard and drizzled with toasted garlic oil, which cooks alongside the vegetables for a seamless final presentation.

03 of 18

Spice-Roasted Halibut with Herbs and Tahini Salad

Spice Roasted Halibut with Herbs and Tahini Salad
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Heather Claire Spollen

Chef Reem Assil infuses halibut with her custom khalta hara blend from the spice company Burlap & Barrel (toasted coriander, cumin, chile, and black lime). Those spices impart layered, mild heat. Sliced serrano, cilantro, and parsley add a fresh finish. Trust us, the special blend from Burlap & Barrel is worth seeking out.

04 of 18

Herb-Roasted Trout with Buttery Almonds

Herb Roasted Trout with Butter Almonds
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Lemon slices and a bounty of hardy herbs flavor these tender whole trout from the inside out, while toasted almonds provide a crunchy finish. Tucked inside and underneath the fish, sprigs of rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage release their essential oils during roasting without getting too crisp in the oven.

05 of 18

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Walnut-Olive Vinaigrette

Platter of slow roasted salmon with olive walnut vinaigrette
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

A vinaigrette bolstered with chopped olives, toasted walnuts, and fresh parsley is a bold finishing touch for roasted salmon basted with smoked paprika and lemon. The combination of basting and slow roasting yields incredibly tender salmon; the walnut-olive vinaigrette adds a briny, buttery crunch.

06 of 18

Tikin Xic (Citrusy Black Cod Roasted in Banana Leaves)

Citrusy Black Cod Roasted in Banana Leaves
Victor Protasio

Something beautiful happens when protein is smeared with citrusy achiote paste, wrapped in banana leaves, and roasted. Achiote, also called annatto, are yellow-orange seeds that lend sweet, peppery, citrus notes to dishes. Along with orange and lime, the bright flavors provide contrast to the tea-like aroma from the banana leaves. Pickled red onions add a spicy finishing touch.

07 of 18

Whole Roast Fish with Lemon and Herbs

Whole Roast Fish with Lemon and Herbs
© Fredrika Stjärne

Designer and blogger Athena Calderone often makes this whole roast fish for her family on Christmas Day — it makes a dramatic centerpiece for a holiday meal. Like the rest of her menu, it tastes fresh and bright, thanks to a double hit of herbs.

08 of 18

Sea Bass Baked in Foil with Pesto, Zucchini, and Carrots

Sea Bass Baked in Foil with Pesto, Zucchini, and Carrots
© Erin Alderson

Aluminum foil is an easy and often-available alternative to the parchment paper traditionally used for cooking en papillote. As the fish and vegetables bake in their packets, they render a delicious broth to pour over the fish at serving time.

09 of 18

Baked Flounder with Parmesan Crumbs

Baked Flounder with Parmesan Crumbs
© James Merrell

Delicious baked flounder is one of the best fast fish recipes you can have in your repertoire. Chef Nigel Slater adds freshly grated Parmesan to the breadcrumbs to form a tasty buttery topping for the flaky white fish, which cooks in just 15 minutes.

10 of 18

Salt-Baked Branzino

Salt-Baked Branzino
© Chris Court

Chef Thomas Keller cooks whole fish in a salt crust to keep it moist, then serves it with a chunky zucchini-basil pistou — Provence's version of pesto — and lemony cherry tomatoes.

11 of 18

Marinated Fish with Salmoriglio Sauce

Marinated Fish with Salmoriglio Sauce

© Yunhee Kim

This tangy, buttery salmoriglio sauce — a Sicilian classic — is spectacularly delicious with many kinds of fish, not just those specified here; it's always best to simply trust your eyes and nose and buy what's freshest at the fish market. For this recipe, you can either bake or grill the fish.

12 of 18

Salt-Crusted Snapper with Eggplant-Raisin Puree

Salt-Crusted Snapper with Eggplant-Raisin Puree
© Kate Mathis

Top Chef Season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio says fish in a salt crust is sexy — we agree! This one is especially delicious with Voltaggio's cinnamon and cayenne-tinged roasted eggplant and golden raisin puree.

13 of 18

Halibut in Parchment with Corn and Tomatoes

Halibut in Parchment with Corn and Tomatoes
© Nicole Franzen

Chef Kristen Kish keeps it simple by roasting halibut, corn, tomatoes, and green beans all in a single packet, allowing the flavors to merge into one delicious meal.

14 of 18

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Tarragon and Citrus

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Tarragon and Citrus
© John Kernick

The late chef and restaurateur Floyd Cardoz revealed his secrets to slow-roasting salmon to keep it moist and the flavor mild. Here, Cardoz seasoned the rich fish with Provençal flavors like garlic, shallots, citrus, thyme, and fennel.

15 of 18

Whole Baked Trout with Fennel and Orange

Whole Baked Trout with Fennel and Orange
© John Kernick

Here, trout is stuffed with fennel, herbs, and orange and baked on foil that’s been well buttered so the skin gets nicely golden.

16 of 18

Casserole-Baked Halibut with Leeks and Carrots

Casserole-Baked Halibut with Leeks and Carrots. Photo © David Malosh
© David Malosh

"Halibut is one fish that roasts up really nicely," says chef Melissa Perello, who cooks the firm-fleshed fish on top of vegetables in a casserole. Because this dish is so simple and ingredient-driven, be sure to make it with the very best olive oil.

17 of 18

Salt-Baked Fish

Salt-Baked Fish
Javier Salas

Chef José Andrés bakes whole fish in a salt crust until it's perfectly moist and seasoned. His trick is to leave the scales on the fish, which makes the skin very easy to peel off after baking. 

18 of 18

Crispy Baked Tilapia

Crispy Baked Tilapia
© Emily Farris

Well-seasoned panko breadcrumbs are browned first before coating the tilapia fillets, which adds an extra boost of flavor.

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